


Shin Megami Tensei: Personastuck

by purpleHerald, Unionhack



Series: Personastuck Series [1]
Category: Homestuck, Persona Series, Shin Megami Tensei Series
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Developing Friendships, Gen, Humanstuck, I'm Bad At Tagging, Long-Distance Friendship, Multi, Not Humanstuck, Self-Discovery, Social Links, Sorry Not Sorry, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-19
Updated: 2014-03-03
Packaged: 2017-12-15 11:09:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 124,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/848842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purpleHerald/pseuds/purpleHerald, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unionhack/pseuds/Unionhack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How much do you take your good memories for granted? What could you bear to lose in order to save the world?</p><p>Dave Strider, a transfer student to the prestigious Sassacre Academy, thinks that things couldn't be any better. This changes when he is introduced to his other self, his Persona, and a strange world populated by mysterious and malicious beings known as shadows. All of this he must deal with while adjusting to life at a new school, making new friends, and maintaining his ever-vigilant cool guy image.</p><p>Together with his sister Rose and his friends John, Jade, and the mysterious foreign exchange students, he must discover the truth behind the mystery of the shadow world, and defeat the ancient evil lurking within.</p><p>(Story by Unionhack, with lots of ideas and brainstorming help from purpleHerald)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Flight 14 to Seattle

"Flight 13 to Chicago, boarding."

Dave's head perked as he heard the airport announcement. "Hey." he said, turning his head to his sister Rose, who was fast asleep on the bench to the left of him. Without a second thought, he crumpled one of the brochures he had laid out nearby and tossed the ball at her, which bounced right off her head.

Slowly Rose awoke and sat up, rubbing her eyes groggily. "What?" she asked with a grumpy tone in her voice. She was having a pretty nice nap until the annoying thud of paper made contact with her cranium.

"Our flight's coming up. We're 14 to Seattle, right?" Dave asked, having not bothered to examine their tickets after getting them the first time. Dragging his index finger across the trackpad of his laptop, he closed out his blog and closed his computer, stuffing it into a bag and standing.

Rose nodded, standing up as well. "Yeah, that's us. Let's get going then." Both of them swung their backpacks over their shoulders and headed to the section where their plane was boarding. It was going to be a long, straight-shot to Seattle lasting about 8 hours, most of which Dave planned to spend sleeping. However, just in case he ended up being struck by a sudden wave of insomnia, he had made sure to pack two fully charged media players. There was absolutely no way he was going to just sit there and watch a crappy in-flight Nicholas Cage movie or another episode of The Office.

The ticket receptionist examined the two of them closely, but Dave assured her that they were both 16 years old and not runaways. Soon enough they were able to board, and within the hour, they were in the air.

Dave was admittedly looking forward to living in Seattle. After all, it was where John and Jade lived, his two closest friends that he had never met in real life. Though he would never admit it, Dave felt rather lonely at home. In the small rural town that he and Rose lived in before, their High School was attended by no more than 300 students at most, and frankly, most of them were idiots. Going to a boarding school in one of the largest cities in the nation would be a definite improvement.

He glanced again at the other brochure he had in his possession, the one that he didn't crumble earlier. On the front, in bolded old-English style letters, was the name 'Sassacre Academy'. Co-ed, four-room apartment style dormitories, a good sized campus; it was basically like attending College, except with a dress code. Dave wasn't too worried with that detail though; the uniform didn't look that bad, and they had some freedom in how they wore it. Combine that with nice on-campus facilities and a great surrounding area, and it almost seemed too good to be true. Still, Dave didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Silently, as to not wake up a once-again sleeping Rose, Dave opened up his laptop after they got the clear to use electronic devices.

With no internet 30,000 feet in the air (which Dave saw as a travesty), Dave could only type up drafts for blog posts. He had a pretty large following for his webcomics of the ironic persuasion, and he figured that said following wouldn't mind if he posted something concerning his life. Maybe someone following him went to Sassacre as well.

Dave checked the clock on his laptop. 11:34 PM. Still about 7 hours to go. Dave flexed his fingers and began typing out his blog post draft.

turntechgodhead log number 1

en route to seattle

not even an hour in and the sis is already asleep

apparently sassacre academy place kicks some serious ass

and if theyve got vending machines with aj i will be in my own 100% natural paradise

flight is gonna suck though

no internet

only tunes

times like these when a mans will is tested in the face of unyielding boredom

only the strider can prev

Before he could finish that line, he felt a hand tap his shoulder. Resisting the urge to groan out of annoyance, Dave turned to whoever it was that tapped him from behind.

Sitting there was a boy that looked of similar age to Dave, who looked like he had just woken up. His pitch black hair seemed to be in a perpetual state of bedhead, and his bloodshot eyes had deep bags under them. He wore a black shirt with some odd purple symbol on it that Dave didn't recognize, and black pants with faint polka dots scattered on them. He sat alone in his two-seat row, with his various overstuffed bags taking up the seat next to him.

"Hey, bro." was the first thing the boy said, looking at Dave's laptop rather than Dave himself. "Nice rig ya got there."

Dave shrugged. "It's not terrible. Gets the job done." he replied, a little confused as to why the boy would just compliment his computer out of the blue. Maybe he was a computer enthusiast. Who would know?

"Tell ya what could make it a whole motherfuckin' load better though. You ever heard of the 'Gateway Code'?" asked the strange boy. Dave shook his head, so the boy continued; "It's a trick they use when they're building computers. Makes it real simple to get complete control over your system. They don't usually let people outside of manufacturing know, because people could violate their fuckin' warranty and shit. You should give it a shot, brother."

Dave lifted an eyebrow. "What, is it like a line of code or something?"

"Nah." replied the strange boy. "Just a few key presses, like control-alt-delete. It's a sequence, and you gotta do it real motherfuckin' fast or else it ain't gonna work. Like this; press 'home' to start it, type the word 'gateway', hold alt and press 'end'. Simple, right?"

Doubting the truth of what the boy said, Dave still had no reason to not try the silly trick. Besides, if he refused to, the boy probably wouldn't leave him alone about it. "Alright, 'home'..." Dave said, his fingers moving across the keyboard at a brisk pace as he followed the instructions and typed out the word 'gateway'.

A simple strike of the 'end' key with the alt key held down, and nothing happened. Just as Dave expected. Turning back to the seats behind him, Dave smugly announced that his guess was right. "See? Nothing happ-"

Dave's words fell on ears that weren't there. Where the boy had been sitting before with a mountain of bags, there were only empty seats. Dave turned back to his laptop, confused and rather weirded out.

"I must have not gotten enough sleep. Jeez." Dave said as he looked back to his screen. To his surprise, the screen had gone black. "Shit, don't tell me you died on me." he protested quietly, knowing that he had charged it at the airport while they were waiting. Frustrated and annoyed, he closed his laptop.

Click. The sound of his laptop closing shut was the last thing Dave heard before his vision went black and his head began pounding. He could no longer hear the plane engines, or the sound of Rose's deep breaths in her sleep. He had absolutely no sense of up and down or left and right, and he couldn't tell if he was floating or falling. "What the hell is this?" Dave called out to the surrounding darkness. To his surprise, a voice called back to him.

"I am thou." came a booming voice that seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. Dave looked around, but could see nothing but blackness.

"Thou art I." said the voice once more. Dave's vision was suddenly blidnded by a white flash, and when he was able to see again, a shining card floated downards and stopped in front of Dave's face. The card was incredibly detailed, and featured what appeared to be a sword in front of a clock with no numbers. The card was labeled with the letter 'X'; or was it the roman numeral for 10? Dave didn't have the ability to make the distinction at this point, as he was completely and utterly confounded. With nothing else to do, he reached out and took hold of the card.

The card immediately dissipated into a soft blue light, and Dave felt a warmth inside his body. Before he could think about what just happened, his vision suddenly faded to white.

When he came to, Dave's face was laid on the keyboard of his laptop, as if he had fallen asleep there. Sitting back up, he noticed that his computer was on once again, with his blog draft still open. Dave turned back and found no traces of the boy that was there earlier; perhaps he had imagined it all. That certainly made more sense than what he had just experienced. It had to have been a vivid dream. He hadn't been able to sleep for the entire wait at the airport, after all.

Dave's laptop clock read 12:34. Just a litle over 30 minutes after midnight. It was as he thought; he had simply fallen asleep. Taking the odd dream as a definite sign that sleep was needed, Dave saved his computer up into his bag and closed his eyes, slowly drifiting to sleep once again.

The voice of the pilot awoke him much later, informing the passengers that they would be landing shortly. Dave stretched and turned to Rose, who had recently awakened as well. "Mornin'." Dave said, stretching his arms.

"Morning." Rose replied, looking out of her window down at the large city below. "You think this will be better than living back at home?"

"Man, you kidding? It's gonna kick Texas' ass." Dave replied. "Just trust me. The year's gonna turn out great and we'll never want to go back."


	2. Rising Sun

Dave felt himself being shaked. Did he phase out for a moment there with his headphones on?

Turning to his left and removing his headphones, he saw Rose with a look on her face that screamed 'seriously?'. Dave rolled his eyes. "What?"

Rose pointed out of the window on the bus that they were riding in. "We're here." she said. Indeed, their dormitory had come into view, and it looked even better than Dave had anticipated.

The building was made of brick and resembled an apartment building, at least 3 stories tall. It was identified by a label on the outside that read 4-B". It was in fantastic condition with well-kept plants and clean windows, as well as a vending machine right outside. To Dave's great joy, it did in fact contain bottled Apple Juice.

"4-B? A senior dorm? Shouldn't we be in a 3 dorm, Rose?" Dave asked.

"The junior class is large this year and we're late additions, so all of the junior dorms have no room. We've been bumped up to a senior dorm and we'll be able to stay in the same rooms next year as well." Rose replied, standing with her various bags in tow. Dave followed suit and exited the bus,

Rose pushed open the door and entered the lobby of the dorm. Dave was expecting something along the line of a hotel, but was pleasantly surprised by what was more like a conjoined living room, kitchen and dining room. A coffee table was placed across a fireplace in the 'living room', surrounded by a couch and two loveseats. A television was set up on the wall above the fireplace, with the wires hidden. The kitchen and dining table were highly furnished as well; the entire dorm looked like something out of a high-standards living magazine.

"Holy shit." Dave muttered, checking around. He was also able to see a few desks and a wifi router tucked away next to a telephone. "We should have came here years ago."

Before Rose could reply, a girl's voice rang from above; "John!" called the voice excitedly, and soon the sounds of feet rapidly descending the stairway were heard. Soon enough, two black haired teenagers that Dave had only seen pictures of online stood in the living room a few feet from himself and Rose.

"John? Jade?" Dave asked, still a little stunned.

"Dave! Rose!" shouted Jade as she ran forward and hugged Dave tightly. "Holy crap, I never thought I'd see you in real life! I'm so used to only knowing you over the internet. It's kinda weird."

Dave smirked, hugging Jade back. "Back at you. Been keepin' up with the blog?"

Jade pulled away, and both she and John nodded. "Of course! The comics look great!" she replied with a twinkle in her eye.

"Hello, John and Jade." Rose said with a grin on her face. She could hardly believe it either. After being friends with both of them over the internet for over 5 years, it seemed almost like a dream to finally see them in real life. She could hardly wait to spend time with them on and off campus. "What are you two doing here?"

"Well, we did have a set-up in a year 3 dorm, but we ended up volunteering to vacate for other juniors who would have been coming here. We knew you two would be coming to a senior dorm anyway. We've only just finished unpacking." John replied. "Want me to show you to your rooms?"

Dave and Rose nodded in reply, and John and Jade showed them the next floor.

"Girls stay on the second floor. Boys stay on the third." Jade said, taking Rose down the hall to one of the six doors; three on each side of the hall.

"Are there any others living here?" Rose asked. "I can't imagine we'd have an entire dorm to ourselves."

"There are four others." John replied. "They've already moved in before we got here. They're all out on vacation though. They'll be back in a few weeks; they start school after we do. Their names are Jane, Jake, Dirk, and Roxy. We have't met them yet either."

Rose nodded. "Which of these rooms is mine?" she asked Jade.

Jade pointed at the names printed on plates for each room, and then pointed to the vacant one next to her own room. "You can choose any of the empty ones, really, but this one's next to mine. We could be neighbors!" she said with a smile. Rose smiled as well and pushed open the doors, bringing her bags in.

John turned to Dave. "Well, I guess that's our cue. C'mon." he said, leading Dave up the stairs to the third floor. He pointed out the vacant room next to his own. "There ya go." he said, pushing open the door.

Stepping into the room, Dave was once again impressed. A television sitting across the bed, a nice window view of the rest of the campus, a personal mini-fridge, a work desk, and a closet. A closet! Dave had to make do with a goddamned dresser at home!

"Dude, this kicks ass." Dave said as he placed his things aside and began unpacking. He placed his laptop on the desk and set his portable turntable on his bed. All the essentials were done and out; he would have time to slap his SBAHJ posters on the walls later. "Hey, so what are we doing later?"

John lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"This is a monumental occasion, Eg-man. The first time us four have ever been together outside of some lame online chatroom. We need to hit the town or something." Dave replied, placing a few sheated records next to his turntable.

"Oh! Well, there are a few places to eat on and just outside of campus. We're not allowed off campus after 10 PM, and you're expected to be indoors by midnight. It's only 6 right now, so we could go somewhere." John replied, smiling. Dave did have a point, and he looked forward to finally being able to hang out with his best friend.

"They got any sushi joints, maybe?" Dave asked, flipping his phone open and checking the battery. There were no sushi bars where he lived, and it was only once in a blue moon that he got to eat at one in the big city.

"Yeah, there's 'Rising Sun' not far from here." John replied.

"Our destination has been decided." Dave said, smirking. "Inform the ladies. Tonight, we feast."

As the four walked towards the Rising Sun restaurant, Dave still couldn't shake the feeling of surrealism he was getting from finally seeing his two friends. It was like a dream come true; of course, he'd never say so out loud. It was paramount that he keep up his 'total cool badass' image. Still, it was weird. For so long, he had known these two as static images on social networking sites, and as plain text in countless chat sessions. These were the only people he had even remotely opened up to other than Rose. To finally have them there with him physically was nothing short of a gift. Dave fully intended to make the best of the next two years.

The group entered the sushi bar and took their seats. Dave immediately began asking questions since he had paid little attention to any information about the school that had been given to him earlier. "So what kind of clubs do they have around here?" he asked both John and Jade, since they had been attending the place since they were sophomores.

Jade put a hand to her chin. "Well, let's see. There's some sports out there, like basketball, soccer, swimming and boxing. There used to be an archery club but it disbanded after an equipment shortage."

"There's also more artistic clubs." John replied. "A/V club, a few symphonic ensembles, photography, creative writing, web design, yearbook, that sort of stuff."

"What are you two in?" Rose inquired.

"Gardening!" Jade replied. "We take care of the plants around campus. I did try the band at one point... but that didn't work out well."

"A/V for me." John replied. "We actually did a few movie scene re-enactments last year."

Dave snickered. He could only imagine John hugging a young girl while 'How Can I Live Without You' played in the background. John responded with punch to the shoulder.

Rose ate contently. "We start classes next week, yes?" she asked in between bits of salmon.

"That's right." Jade replied. "Hopefully us four will share some classes. It'd make study groups in the dorm easier."

"Hopefully use four will share some classes." Dave mimicked. "It'd make copying Rose's notes a lot easier." His comment was met with another punch to the shoulder, this time from his 'loving sibling'.

Jade looked up from her food. "Oh! I forgot to ask! How was your trip? It's only polite to ask."

Rose shrugged. "I slept for most of it, honestly."

Dave nodded. "I wish I could have been out that much. I hadn't slept until we boarded the plane. I could've sworn I was seeing things, I was so tired."

"Seeing things?" Jade asked.

"Yeah, it was really trippy. I think most of it was either a dream or just a result of lack of sleep. Like how there was this weird kid sitting behind us on the plane who was trying to tell me secret computer codes and other shit." Dave said. "I couldn't get to sleep fast enough."

The others shrugged. Dave couldn't have made that up if he tried. "Well, you two better get to sleep early for tonight. You've probably both got jet lag." John said, "We don't want Dave seeing more mysterious kids, now do we?" he added with a laugh. Dave responded with a punch to John's shoulder; sweet, sweet revenge.

Rose nodded and yawned. "He's got a point." she said. "We should rest up so we can have more energy to slack off for the rest of the week. I look forward to more sushi."

"Hear, hear." Dave said, standing up from his seat. He checked his phone's clock; 8 PM. "I guess we have been here for a while. Let's head back."

The time on his clock read 11:30 and still Dave couldn't sleep. They weren't lying about the jet lag. He sat up in bed and looked out of his window. Quiet, empty streets. That's right, John did say that curfew was at midnight. People would have went back inside by now.

Dave quietly creeped out of bed and grabbed his laptop, descending to the first floor for a midnight snack and some blogging time. After a moment in the kitchen, he had a fully prepped ham sandwich, and was about to eat it when a voice startled him.

"Dave?" called Jade from the loveseat by the coffee table, her laptop fittingly sitting on the top of her lap.

"Shit, Harley!" Dave said, dropping his sandwich. "Can't sleep either?" he asked once he had regained his composure and his grip on the sandwich.

Jade shook her head. "Nah. I stayed up late a lot during vacation and never bothered to fix my schedule."

Dave brought his sandwich and laptop to the coffee table and sat on the sofa. "Congratulations, you've got a rare front-seat to witness live Stider blogging. Not many attain such an honor."

Jade giggled. "I'm honored, then!"

"As you should be." Dave said, taking a bite of his sandwich before beginning a typing spree to finish his draft from the flight.

"Dave?" Jade asked after a short bit of silence.

"Yeah?"

"What kind of special codes did this dream-kid tell you about?"

"Oh, shut up." Dave said, a little averse to being mocked.

"No, I'm just curious." she said, looking down at her laptop. "Maybe you've stumbled on something via your subconsciousness or something."

"I doubt it. It was something really stupid." Dave said, recalling the instructions that the boy on the plane gave to him. "It went like this..." he said, relaying the sequence of keys to initiate the 'Gateway Code'.

Jade smirked. " 'Gateway', huh? Alright. That mind of yours, Mr. Strider. You should write a book." she said as she input the keys. Of course, as Dave predicted, nothing happened.

"Don't tempt me." Dave replied as he looked away from her and to his sandwich. He took a bite and closed his eyes for a yawn, then heard a slight thud. His eyes opened and he saw Jade's head resting on her laptop's keyboard, as if she had passed out.

"Har? Hey, you alright?" he called to her. "Oh wait, that's right. John said she's a narcoleptic." Dave reminded himself. He placed his napkin and laptop aside, having finished his sandwich, and went over to Jade. Gently he turned her over and laid her out on the loveseat, placing her laptop at her feet, then throwing a blanket over her. With her taken care of and his blog successfully updated, Dave quietly returned to his room.

Sitting on his bed, he wondered why Jade was curious about the code that he had learned of in his dream. Maybe his story was just that ridiculous and she was just trying to get a few laughs out of it, but didn't quite get to the laughing before falling asleep. Whatever her reason, Dave was too sleepy to ponder it.

He took one last look at his clock before closing his eyes. 11:41 PM.


	3. Getting Acclimated

Dave's alarm clock blared loudly. He could hardly believe it. August 19th already? It seemed like only yesterday that he and Rose had arrived at the dorm. He was looking forward to experiencing a new school, but no student looks forward waking up at 7 in the morning. He groaned and slammed his fist onto his clock to shut it up and groggily made his way out of bed, slipping in to his new Sassacre Academy uniform.

The uniform consisted of a black jacket over a white button-down shirt, and comfortable black slacks. Overall, not bad-looking. Dave hadn't seen anything about tucking in the shirt or zipping the jacket, so he did neither and figured he could use the 'new kid' excuse should he get pestered about it.

As he descended the stairs to the first floor, he swore that he could smell the faint scent of batter and syrup. Pancakes.

Jade was indeed handing out pancakes to John and Rose. It seemed that he was the last one to wake up. "You're up early." he said to no one in particular.

John turned around with a tired smile. "This is normal for Jade. She's a notoriously early riser."

Jade smiled and placed another plate of pancakes on the counter, intended for Dave. "He's right! I got up at, like, 5 AM and made all of these pancakes."

Accepting the plate, Dave sat to chow down. "No complaints here. So what's the agenda for today? They didn't give us schedules or anything."

"Today's more of an orientation day." Rose replied. "According to John, they're going to hold an assembly, hand out our schedules, and register us and the like. The real thing starts tomorrow."

John nodded in affirmation to what Rose had said. "So don't sweat it with packing binders or anything. Just take your backpack empty and be ready to fill it with pamphlets and textbooks."

Dave nodded in turn and dumped the contents of his bag onto the counter. "We gonna head out now, then?"

"If you want." Jade replied. "It's not a long walk. We've got time."

"Time that we could spend showing them around." John suggested. "Or at least pointing out landmarks."

Jade nodded. "Good point. Let's go, then." she said, placing all of the plates in the dishwasher and grabbing her backpack.

Together, the four of them ventured out onto the campus. Jade, with a giggle, took on the role of a generic, exhuberant tour guide.

"If you look to your left, you'll see the art hall, where our art clubs make their home. And just on the side of it is the science building and greenhouse, where you can find your friendly neighborhood Jade should you ever find yourself lost!" she annouced, holding an imaginary microphone. "To the right we have the English building, where all of our literature and history classes take place. And just to the side is the Math building, where all hope of a perfect GPA is lost! Finally, as you can see in front of us, the faculty hall is at the head of the courtyard, where all our faculty gathers to discuss how to further the strain on our poor teenage brains!"

John nodded to each of her statements. "There are a few other buildings on the other part of campus, but this is where we'll spend most of our time."

Rose looked to the faculty hall. "And the assembly will be there?" she asked, pointing.

Jade gave a thumbs up. "That's right! The auditorium's in there. And that's where we're going. Prep your ears to be talked off. The Principal's pretty long-winded."

Dave held up a smartphone and his set of over-ear headphones. "Way ahead of you."

"And with these words, I hope that you all make the most of this school year. Remember, the effort you put forth will be the reward you receive."

After an agonizing ten minutes, the principal had, at last, finished speaking. After a few more announcements concering imporant dates, the students were given leave to head to some of the other buildings to receive their schedules; freshmen to the art building, sophomores to the science building, juniors to the math building, and seniors to a different part of the faculty hall.

Dave removed his headphones from his ears and turned to his friends, and was met with rolling eyes from Rose. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing we can't fill you in on later." John responded, standing. "Let's head to the math hall."

"Right behind you." Dave replied, looking to the door. Something caught his eye near the back of the auditorium, so he looked closer.

Holy shit.

There he was, clear as day, the mysterious kid from the plane. He was a little difficult to identify without his odd clothing, but it was definitely him. He was standing with and talking to another black-haired male student, whose hair was still rather unkempt but nowhere near the level of messy that the plane-kid's hair had attained.

Jade patted Dave on the shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" she asked. He must have seemed out of it for her to notice.

Dave blinked and rubbed his temples. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

"If you're sure." Jade replied, tugging at his jacket to get him to follow. "Come on, we're blocking people from getting out."

Nodding, Dave heading out with the others. He scanned the crowd again for the guy from the plane, but found nothing. It wouldn't be hard to spot such a bird's nest of a hairstyle. He must have already left. With literally no information on who this guy was other than that he apparently attended Sassacre, Dave couldn't be sure if he would run into him at the math building. It was worth hoping though. It would possibly result in him looking like an idiot, asking some random person if he remembered telling Dave a secret computer code, but Dave could not be convinced that it was a coincidence. He was simply too curious. He had to know.

"Wow, I'm starting to sound like Egbert." Dave muttered, following the others to the building. It was already crowded; as John and Jade had mentioned, the Junior class was indeed the largest of the four. With a heavy sigh, Dave took his place with the others in the long line that started outside of the hall.

"How long did it take last year?" Rose inquired, standing on her tip-toes to scan the crowd out of curiousity.

"About an hour." John replied. "It's not a big deal, really. It passes more quickly than you'd think."

As his friends kept making small talk, Dave was still scoping out the gathering for who he had now dubbed 'plane kid'. He had been one of the first to leave the auditorium, so he was probably already inside the building, speaking with advisors and getting his classes scheduled. After that was done, the day was effectively over and the students were entitled to free time for the rest of the day. Lucky bastards. Dave regretted letting Rose pick a row near the front of the auditorium.

He couldn't help but check his phone clock every so minutes to see how long they had been waiting. Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes passed and they had barely made it into the building. Dave had all but given up on finding plane kid, and was more concerned with trying to not fall asleep on his feet. He wondered if the dorm had a coffee machine; at this rate, he would need one for the mornings to come.

"Well, as fun as all this standing around is, I think I'm gonna lay back." Dave finally annouced as he sat up against a wall.

"Ditto." John said as he slumped against the wall. The waiting was indeed hell on the feet. Soon enough, dozens of surrounding students had followed suit and sat down.

"So Dave. Have you decided if you're going to join a club?" Jade asked after a few minutes of sitting, looking over to Dave. Her question had fallen on deaf ears, however; Dave was fast asleep. It must have been rough for him to get up so early after entering a new time zone.

Dave heard the sound of a piano, which seemed odd; he didn't have any classical music on his phone, or any music involving pianos for that matter. He opened his eyes to have his sight flooded with the soothing sight of a deep, blue velvet color. Another dream? He was beginning to wonder about the dreams he had been having lately. They were more vivid than any dreams he had ever had. Was it a result of the time change? Who knows.

Standing, Dave examined his surroundings. He was in a luxurious room that resembled a private booth in a club, but in the absence of repetitive electronic music in the background, there was a haunting piano and the voice of a female opera singer. Nearly everything in the room was a solid, deep blue color. It had a mystifying feeling to it; Dave could tell that he was in no normal club room. Suddenly a voice startled him, and he turned to face it. To his surprise, two people were in front of him that weren't there before; a blonde woman clothed in a blue matching the room's color, and a man dressed in a suit with a freakishly large nose.

"Welcome..." said the man with the long nose, as he looked upwards with bulging, bloodshot eyes. "...to the Velvet Room."


	4. Awakening

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." continued the long-nosed man. "You are here because you signed a contract of sorts; after all, only those who have signed a contract may enter here."

Dave sat in the seat across from the man's table, lifting an eyebrow. "Alright, this is about the freakiest dream I've ever had."

The odd man shook his head. "This is no dream. Whether or not you believe that now, you will come to believe it soon."

He extended his hand. "I am Igor, propreitor of the Velvet Room. And this is my assistant, Margaret."

Margaret bowed her head. "A pleasure."

Dave shook, but still kept his expression of disbelief. "You're saying I'm not dreaming? This sure as hell looks like a dream."

Igor shook his head. "You have had several experiences recently of which you can say the same, yes? Can you call them dreams when evidence to suggest otherwise exists in plain sight?"

"You're saying all that shit on the plane. That really happened?" Dave said. At this point he was beginning to believe it. This all seemed too real to be a dream, but it sure didn't feel like the waking world either.

"That is for you to discover. But I believe you already know the answer." Igor replied, spreading a few cards out. They looked familiar to Dave. Igor brought one of his hands up and the cards began to glow with an all-too familiar blue glow. Dave could only think of two possibilities; he was having some wicked hallucinations brought on by some factor he was unaware of, or that this was real. The latter was admittedly more believable at this point.

Igor flipped one of the cards over with a wave of his hand. Dave could see the same card that he had grabbed in his dream on the plane.

"My, this is most intriguing indeed." Igor said. "The upright Wheel of Fortune. It represents a positive change in circumstances. Indeed Lady Luck appears to shine on you. Often what appears to be either good or bad luck turns out to be just the opposite, or a catalyst to the other."

Margaret looked over at Dave. "It has been some time since one of our guests has been represented by a card other than the Fool."

Igor nodded. "Some time indeed. I find myself wondering how this will affect your journey." 

Dave sat there with a blank expression. "Look, I have absolutely no clue what's going on here. Some straight answers would be pretty awesome right about now. I'm really not going to be able follow anything you say until I get some answers."

Igor flipped the Fortune card back over and waved the cards away, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands. "The answers will come in due time. Do not rush towards the destination, for the journey is something to be enjoyed as well. Such is life."

Dave shook his head. "Alright, fine. I have no clue what I'm going to do about all of this, but fine."

"Not to worry." Igor responded. "You will be summoned here once more in due time. Until then, return to your life. Enjoy your journey. For the face of fortune that lies at your destination may not be what you desire. You must be prepared for such, and you must remember that the Wheel of Fortune is just that; A Wheel. A cycle Take these words to heart."

Sitting back in his chair, Dave tried his hardest to ponder the words spoken by Igor, but it all seemed so out of context. Assuming that this wasn't a dream, he would be summoned here again at some point. Perhaps he would be more informed then.

Dave felt his vision blurring and fogging up, and soon it all faded to black. The last thing he heard was Igor's voice; "Look to the Sun, and you shall find your answer."

__________

"Dave, did you hear? Are you asleep?" called Jade's voice.

Dave blinked and removed his sunglasses, blinking, "Mmm? What? Sorry, I passed out for a sec... what did you say earlier?"

"I asked if you had decided on a club." Jade said, with a forced smile. She looked worried, no matter how happy she tried to make herself seem.

"I... I guess A/V with John, if it means I could work a turntable or DJ for some events." he responded sincerely. "Dances and stuff."

John nodded. "Yeah, we do a bit of that. Really, they don't care what you work on as long as you're learning and applying your knowledge. I think you'd do well with it." 

Jade nodded with a smile. "Makes sense. What about you, Rose?"

Rose looked up from her book. "Me? I suppose Creative Writing would suit me well."

John smiled with a nod. "Yeah, Dave said you write."

"Just a bit. I usually don't show anything I write to anyone." Rose said simply. 

"Well, joining the club might help you get better at showing off your work. Then you can get to work on your Pulitzer Prize winning novel!" Jade said cheerfully. Her peppiness was a little contagious. Dave felt much less drowsy and his eyelids stopped weighing down as much.

The next thirty minutes passed a little quicker now that everyone was fully awake. Dave made no mention of the Velvet Room or Igor, but he strongly considered talking to the others about it. 

Who to ask, though? John was into Supernatural things, so he might have some knowledge on it. Then there was Rose; this seemed like it was right up her alley. Jade might not know much on the subject, but if she believed him about the Gateway Code, then maybe she would believe him about this too. He decided to leave it up to who he could find alone when they got to the dorm. He didn't want to talk about it with everyone at once. 

Eventually they reached the end of the line. John and Jade devised a plan for themselves as well as Dave and Rose to answer the questions of the advisor similarly so that the four of them would get similar class assignments.

Dave was the last of the group to exit the advisory rooms with his completed schedule. "So? How do we match up?"

John took the four schedules and laid them in a row to compare. "For the first four hours of the day we're all together. English, Math, History, then Science, all the same teachers. Then lunch, then fifth and sixth are all different. Dave and I have PE 5th while you two have Computer Applications. Then it's vice-versa for 6th. Then we go to any clubs, then we head home! Overall, pretty good."

"Damn good!" Dave affirmed, taking his schedule from the row. "Now I don't need to sweat over not having notes."

"It'll make studying a lot easier." Jade added. "Homework too."

"Looks like Lady Luck decided to smile on us today." mused a smiling Rose. It was clear that she was having fun.

Lady Luck. Dave once again recalled the words of Igor concerning the Wheel of Fortune, and how one sort of luck might simply be an invitation for the other sort to occur. The thought put him on edge. Was something bad going to happen to them? Was that what Igor was hinting at?

He really needed someone to talk to.

__________

After arriving at the dorm (and grabbing an apple juice from the vending machine), Dave laid himself on the loveseat and kicked back, crossing his arms behind his head. The Velvet Room and its' mysterious inhabitants continued to eat away at his thoughts. The card that he had grabbed in his dream, the words that had been spoken; "I am thou. Thou art I." What did it all mean? Was it all truly reality?

No, it wasn't, but it wasn't a dream either. As Igor said, it was "between dream and reality". This was something different entirely. 

Jade took a seat on the sofa. She looked like she was pondering something. Dave knew that if he was going to talk to someone about anything, now would be the time. Rose had gone to her room to write a bit, having been hit with a bit of inspiration, and one of John's movies was on, so he decided to watch it in his own room. Dave and Jade were alone. 

Dave was about to open his mouth to speak, but Jade beat him to it. It looked like she had sought to talk to Dave alone as well. "Dave? You said you had a dream on the plane, right? What happened exactly?"

"Well..." Dave responded, a litle surprised by the question. "The kid told me the code, I tried it, and then everything went black for a while. I felt like I was floating, and then some weird card appeared. I grabbed it and it disappeared, then I woke up."

Jade seemed like she was staring into space, deep in thought. "What did the card look like?" Jade asked. It seemed like an oddly specific question. "Did it have a Sun on it, with the Roman numeral for 19?"

Dave's eyes widened, though they couldn't be seen behind his shades. This was way too much to be a coincidence. Did she have the same dream? "No... it had a clock with a sword for a hand, and it had the number 10."

She looked at her computer on the coffee table. "I think I had the same dream. The falling-into-darkness-and-finding-a-card part, anyway. But... it seemed like more than a dream. I've had a lot of dreams, Dave. Never anything like that."

"Did you have any dream about this dude with a huge nose in a blue room?" Dave asked. Igor did say they had other guests at other points in time.

"No?" Jade said, suddenly giggling. "All this card stuff is weird in itself, but... I would be laughing at that if I wasn't already convinced that the card dream was more than just a dream. You'll have to tell me more about long-nose-in-a-blue-room guy later."

"So you think it was more than just a dream too, right?" Dave asked. "Then, if the card part wasn't a dream, then everything else..."

"The Gateway Code has to have something to do with it." Jade said. "This might sound weird, but at this point, I'd be willing to believe anything; what if the Gateway Code is what causes these weird dreams? What if it's... like a gateway to some part of ourselves or something?"

Dave hadn't thought of it like that. There was something weird about the random code that plane kid had told him, but he hadn't considered that it was the cause of all of it. "Then... maybe we should try it again."

"I was thinking the same thing." Jade said. "There might be something massive if we can find out what this really does. I'd hate to just leave this alone and never find out what it means. It'd bug me for the rest of my life!"

"You're right." Dave admitted. It would bug the hell out of him too. Hell, it was already bugging the hell out of him. "I'll go grab my laptop then."

Dave returned shortly with laptop in hand. "Alright." he said, sitting down with it on the coffee table. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Jade replied, sitting next to him on the sofa. 

Dave counted down from three, and they both typed in the sequence. Upon stroking the 'end' key, they both felt a strange sensation. It was hard to describe, but it felt similar to a body part being asleep, except spread across the entire body. After a few moments, they both blacked out as expected.

__________

The first thing Dave noticed is that he was laying on something solid. He was definitely not falling like last time. The ground felt dirty, as if he were outside. 

He opened his eyes and found himself in a foggy, forest-like area, surrounded by trees as far as he could see. He slowly brought himself to his feet. Something was missing.

"Jade?" he called, looking around frantically. "Jade, you here?"

There was nothing. Trees, trees, and more trees. Looking down, Dave could identify a beaten path through the forest. It was his only choice at this point. He took the path through the forest, starting at a fast walk and changing to a jog after a few moments. 

Something caught his ear; he couldn't tell what it was, but it sounded certainly unnatural. He felt like he was being watched. He continued on until her heard the sound again, this time louder. He swung around, closed his hand into a fist, and crouched slightly, as if ready to fight. 

Dave felt a sudden sensation in his hand when he curled it into a fist, then saw a flash of bright light. When he could see again, he found a katana in his grip. It seemed to be in perfect condition, and well balanced for use in one hand. Things were making less sense by the minute, but Dave wasn't about to look a gift katana in the mouth. Or hilt or something.

His earlier assumption was correct. From the depths of the fog, something faded into view. It appeared to be a black puddle with an odd blue mask; how the mask was staying on top of the puddle was anyone's guess. The puddle seemed to sprout arms, and used them as a means of locomotion.

Dave readied his katana as the puddle approached. With a shout, he sliced with all of his might at the creepy puddle. To his great surprise, his slice did absolutely nothing.

"What the hell?" Dave shouted aloud. What kind of shitty supernatural world gives you a katana that doesn't cut anything?"

The puddle quickly retaliated and swung a hand at Dave, hitting him in the leg. He felt a sharp pain as his pants leg cuff ripped, and he fell backwards instinctively to avoid another hit.

"Dammit!" he shouted. There was no time to deal with this when Jade still had to be found. Despite the pain in his foreleg, Dave regained his balance and ran off along the path, away from the mysterious puddle. He could hear a scream in the distance, undoubtedly from Jade. 

Dave increased the pace of his run, despite the pain, and came across a strange, blue glow that could be seen behind a bit of brush. It was unlike the gentle blue glow that surrounded the cards they had found in their strange dreams; it seemed malevolent in a sense, almost like a slowly burning fire. Dave chopped down the brush in his way and entered the grove, and was surprised to find not one, but two Jades facing each other. 

"No, that's... not how I am..." said one of the Jades to the other. She appeared to have tears welling up in her eyes, while the other Jade stood menacingly with her arms crossed, the evil blue glow surrounding her.

"Jade!" Dave called to the crying Jade, whom he could tell was obviously the real one. Both turned towards him. 

"Dave!" called out real Jade, her cheeks stained by tears. "Make her stop! Please!"

"Stop what?" repsonded other Jade in a distorted, demonic voice. "Stop speaking the truth? It's not my fault that you won't listen!" Dave was able to get a clear look at her; she looked exactly like Jade with one glaring exception; her eyes glowed a bright yellow, and she wore an evil grin. 

"All your friends are in your life now." the other Jade continued. "It's soooooo much easier to act like a successful person behind a computer screen, Over the internet, it was easy to fit in a little lie every here and there. Dave and Rose would never notice! But now they're here. They see the real you, and you're already failing them."

"Stop!" Jade cried out, falling to her knees.

"You're trying so hard to impress them. But how can you? You're not a writer, or a disk jockey. You've got your plants, but which friends are you going to impress with silly weeds and flowers?" said the other Jade, apparently aiming to hurt real Jade. "And don't even get me started on the disaster that was the band class last year. Unteachable! The worst flute sound that they've ever heard! Of course you've got your bass, but where do you fit an electric bass into a symphonic arrangement, hm? Nowhere, that's where!"

Jade continued to sob, lowering herself further to the ground. Dave went over, placing a hand on her shoulder and kneeling. "Jade! Get a hold of yourself! Don't let her get to you!"

"You've always been enthusiastic about everything you do, but that never helps anything when you fall flat on your face, does it?" cackled other Jade. "Enthusiasm is worthless when you can't get the job done. All the hope in the world can't make up for a lack in ability. You just want to be free from having to work towards being great at something. You just want the magic ticket called talent! You just can't stand the same routine of practicing to fail. I should know... after all... I am you. And you're me."

Jade shook her head, trying not to sob uncontrollably. "No! You're wrong! That's not how I feel! You're not me!"

Dave felt a very bad feeling as soon as Jade muttered those words, though he couldn't tell why until he witnessed what was happening to the other Jade. 

Other Jade began cackling maniacally as the blue glow around her turned blood red. She convulsed and began to grow as her form was hidden by the growing red glow. Dave backed up slowly, keeping Jade behind him at all times.

The glow dissipated and before them stood a gleaming figure. Before them was what appeared to be a warped, twisted version of Jade clad in spiked, shining armor and wielding a long spear. The figure towered over Dave and Jade, being at least four times their height.

"Shit!" Dave said, keeping his katana at the ready. What good was it going to do, though? It had failed him against the lowly puddle, What good was it going to serve him here?

"You're not going to live to see success!" shouted the armored figure, readying its' spear.

Dave was out of options and was about to suggest running when a familiar glint caught his eye. The card from his dream slowly descended and hovered in front of him.

"The Wheel of Fortune." he muttered, recalling Igor's words. "Well, here goes nothing." 

Dave grabbed the card from the air, and it shattered. 

It was at that moment that Dave's entire mind was wiped clean of all thought, save for a single word.

"Per... So... Na..."

__________


	5. Call to Arms

Dave couldn't quite put words together to explain what he was experiencing, but at the same time, he knew what was going on. That card had some kind of power, but the card represented him. Or, at least his inner self. The power was coming from him. 

Dave felt like he was caught in the middle of a windstorm. His jacket flapped violently in the wind, but he felt that his body wasn't being moved at all. He was surrounded by a torrent of swirling blue light, remniscient of the light that had enveloped his card. 

Clenching his fist harder, Dave shouted as he tried to exert some control over the power. The light surrounding him seemed to intensify and solidify into a humanlike shape. Dave relaxed his fist and watched as the light surrounding the shape.

In the air there was indeed a humanlike figure. However, the figure seemed to be constructed entirely out of metal. Running gears could be spied on various parts of its body, and large mechanical wings extended from its back. The feature that stood out most was the staff that it held in its right hand, which reminded Dave of the symbol seen on Hospital logos; a staff with two snakes curling around it. 

The figure spoke with a familiar booming voice.

"Thou art I... And I am thou... From the sea of thy soul I cometh... I am Hermes, emissary of the divine..." 

Dave felt a connection to this 'Hermes'. As it had said; "From the sea of thy soul I cometh." 

This thing came from him. Was this the personification of the power he gained from that card? Suddenly the word 'Persona' made a lot more sense.

Other Jade stepped back, her movement slowed by her massive armor. "What the...? It can't be!" It shouted, readying her weapon.

Dave readied himself, gripping his katana tightly. "Hermes!" he shouted, thrusting his hand forward. Once again, he couldn't quite explain the level of understanding he had with his 'Persona', but he felt that he had a level of control over it.

Indeed, Hermes responded and raised its free hand just as Dave had. In a flash, a burst of flame erupted from Hermes' hand and slammed into Other Jade, causing it to stagger back and fall over. It hit the ground with a massive thud, shaking the trees around them and throwing dust up into the air.

Dave took the opportunity. "Now!" he shouted, clenching his fist. 

Hermes rose into the air as if he had leapt from mid-air, and then descended rapidly with his staff at the ready. His staff slammed into Other Jade's chest armor, creating a cracking sound. 

Other Jade let out a shrill shriek, emenating a blast of cold. Dave was pushed back, as was Hermes. When he was able to look once more, he could see a frail, withered version of Jade floating in the air like a marionette. Other Jade had been protected by her massive armor this entire time, and without it, she would be extremely vulnerable. 

"No!" she shrieked, raising her hands. From her came more blasts of ice, pushing Dave and Hermes back even farther. Dave tried to stand his ground, but the cold had numbed him and made it difficult to move effectively. As a last-ditch effort, he gripped his katana and trudged forward.

Hermes rose from the ground and approached once more. Dave lifted his katana to the air. "Now, Hermes!" he shouted.

Hermes rose his staff into the air as Dave had with his sword, and began glowing red. Despite Other Jade's continued blasts, Hermes stood still as he glowed like a hot iron. After a short while, Dave could feel the heat emanating from his Persona. With another characteristic flash, Hermes' staff caught aflame and burned intensely, melting away Other Jade's rapid blasts of ice before they even hit him.

Dave brought his sword down as a command to Hermes, and his Persona obliged, bringing his flaming staff down towards a screaming Other Jade. Dave heard the impact, and looked to see Other Jade dissipate into smoke.

His purpose fulfilled, Hermes faded into thin air. Dave felt an inner warmth; he knew he would be able to call Hermes back when he needed him.

Dave then heard more crying from Jade. He turned around and was surprised to see Other Jade once more; however, she was no longer in her armored or frail form; she once again looked identical to Jade, only with bright yellow eyes and a surrounding coat of bluish smoke. The real Jade staggered to her feet and looked her shadow in the eyes. "You're... not..."

"Jade, no!" Dave called, to Jade's surprise. "It freaked out the last time you denied it. It's alright; I won't tell anyone what it said. My lips are sealed. Don't sweat it."

Jade's mouth was open in disbelief, still not wishing to accept her negative side. She knew that what Other Jade was telling the truth, but she didn't want to admit. If what Dave had said was true, however, the thing wouldn't go away unless she accepted it. Maybe it was time to own up to her failures, to accept them as a part of who she was.

"Fine... you're right." Jade said, sighing. "You're absolutely right. I clad myself in a wall of enthusiasm because I always wanted to look past my failures. I wanted to pretend that they didn't exist, and that they wouldn't matter in the long run. But they do. I shouldn't run from my failures when I can learn from them. They're a part of who I am... And so are you. You are me, after all."

Other Jade smiled faintly before fading into the same blue light that Dave had become familiar with. Soon after, a figure of similar size to Hermes faded into view; a long haired man covered in drapes and adorned with poppy flowers. In his hand was a shining clock on a chain, being swung like a pendulum used in hypnosis therapy. 

"Hypnos." Jade muttered, as if she heard its name in her mind. Perhaps she did. Hypnos faded from view and reverted into a card. Dave could see that the card had an artisitc depiction of the sun on it, as well as the Roman Numeral XIX. Jade rose her hand and and accepted the card, and was bathed in a blue glow before the card disappeared as well. "So... I get a 'Persona' too." She muttered before collapsing.

"Jade!" Dave shouted as he ran over. "Shit, shit, shit!" 

He could feel himself flying off the handle as he gently took Jade into his arms, shaking her a bit. "No no no, don't do this to me. Don't you fucking dare."

Jade blinked slightly, much to Dave's relief, and coughed a bit. "I'm not dead, dummy. I'm just really tired..." she said, genuinely smiling.

"Oh." Dave said, flustered that he had such a show of emotion in front of someone. "Yeah, I knew that." he lied, pushing his sunglasses back up. 

"How do we get out?" Jade asked. She was much too weak to stand, so Dave had to carry her. Should they encounter any more weird puddles, Hermes would be able to take care of them.

Dave looked around and saw a bright light not far in the distance. "Maybe that's our answer." he said, holding Jade as he approached the light.

Indeed, a door stood where Dave had originally entered the strange forest. It was open, but Dave could only see a bright light within. Whatever was inside, Dave figured it would be a better choice to go in than stay in the forest. "Ready?" he asked as he approached. Jade didn't repsond; she was fast asleep. 

With a slight smile, Dave entered the door and had his vision flooded by light. Then darkness came, as always.

__________

Dave awoke with a start. He glanced around and found that he was in the dorm once again. 

"Jade?" he called out, looking to his right. Likewise, Jade was coming to. 

"Was that... real?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

Dave felt his left foreleg. His pants weren't ripped like they were earlier, but he was definitely sore in the exact same spot that the puddle had clawed him. "Whatever happened, happened. I'm not sure how, though." 

Jade nodded, then blushed. "Promise you won't tell anyone what the other Jade said?"

Dave nodded. "Like I said, don't sweat. I won't say shit. My lips are locked up tighter than an Amish chastity belt."

Jade giggled. "Alright then, good." she said, stretching. Dave was exhausted, and he could assume that Jade was as well.

John called them from the kitchen. "Oh, hey. You two finally woke up." he said, fixing himself a sandwich.

"Woke up?" Dave inquired, turning around.

"Yeah, you were both out for like an hour. We couldn't wake you up at all." responded John, slathering his slice of bread with strawberry jelly. In any other situation, Dave would have called out the blasphemy of not using apple jam, but that would have to wait.

Dave looked at Jade with a knowing gaze. They would have to talk to John about it later, that was for sure. 

Jade leaned in and whispered. "Should we both tell him? He's my brother, he should listen to me" she asked. Unlike Dave and Rose, John and Jade weren't biological siblings; Jade had been adopted when she they were both babies. 

Dave shook his head. "Let me handle it. It's less overwhelming if only one person talks to him about it. Who knows, he might know something."

With a nod, Jade stood up and folded up her laptop, heading up to her room. 

As soon as they were alone, John leaned on the counter and smirked. "So." he said with a mischievous grin. "Falling asleep with Jade, hm?"

"It's not what you think, Egbert. Fuck off."

"Hey, I never said anything." John retorted with a laugh. "I think it's kinda cute."

Dave sipped the last of his apple juice. "I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about."

John wiggled his eyebrows. "I think you d- ow!" he shouted, having been soundly thunked on the head by an empty bottle of apple juice. 

Dave smirked and walked upstairs, going to get ready for the next day.

__________

Dave took a seat in his history class next to John the next day. Behind them sat Jade and Rose, while the other seats were all occupied by other students they didn't know. Dave didn't spot plane kid anywhere. However, he did spot another familiar face; the kid that plane kid was talking to as they exited the auditorium. 

The boy sat with an annoyed expression, as if he were pissed off at the world. He wore his uniform pants a little high and had both his jacket and shirt tucked in; he looked pretty silly, though he was obviously attempting to look proper.

Before Dave could ask him anything, the teacher stood up the podium. He looked like he was in his 50's, with gray hair and a well-trimmed beard; John muttered something about him looking like 'the old guy from Highlander'.

"Alright, kids. Let me get one thing straight about this class. My name is Edgar Withers. You will call me Mr. Withers. While you are here, my word is law. I am here to teach you history, so that you do not repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. There shall be no talking; only learning." announced the teacher. "We will begin with the Greeks and their mythologies, such as the legend of Perseus. But first, roll call."

John looked over to Dave. "I've got this course wrapped up. I know all about Greek mythology. It's kinda a hobby of mine."

Dave's eyes widened a bit. "Like, Hermes and Hypnos and shit?" he asked. He knew their names were from Greek Mythology, but he next to nothing about the Gods that their Personas were named after.

"Like that, yeah." John responded with a smile.

"John Egbert." called Mr. Withers. John declared himself present.

"Good, you can tell me more about it, then. I don't know much." Dave responded. 

"Dave Strider." 

"Here." Dave responded, already not too keen on Mr. Withers. 

John shrugged. "If you want. There's so much out there. Tons of books and legends and stuff. There's also different interpretations of them all."

"Karkat Vantas."

Dave saw plane kid's friend raise his hand. So his name was Karkat. What kind of name was that? Maybe he was an exchange student. At least Dave had a name to go by; he'd have to talk to him later. 

John smirked and sat back. "I'll help you brush up on your stuff at some other point. Don't worr-"

"Mr. Egbert." called Mr. Withers. "Perhaps you and Mr. Strider find your conversations more important than the class. It is the first day of school, after all. Why pay attention?"

Dave groaned. 'Here we go', he thought to himself.

"To make an example of you both, you'll both have plenty of time to talk during detention. I'll see you both at the end of the day."

Dave groaned once more and placed his head on his desk. It was already turning into a long day.

Mr. Withers cleared his throat. "Now then. We shall begin with the Legend of Perseus. Most of you may know the story from the cult classic movie 'Clash of the Titans', but of course, the legend itself is much older than that. It began with the Oracle telling King Acrisius that his daughter Danae's son would one day kill him. To prevent this, Acrisius locked his daughter in a tower so that she would never conceive. 

"However, Zeus had different plans. He visited Danae in her tower and impregnated her, and when Acrisius found out, he had both Danae and her baby, whom she named Perseus, cast out to sea in a coffin. By divine intervention or luck, they washed up onto the island of Seriphos and lived there. 

"The king of Seriphos, Polydectes, sent Perseus on a quest to slay the Gorgon Medusa once he was an adult, for he did not bring a wedding present to Ploydectes' wedding. 

"Perseus received many gifts from the Gods, namely a helmet of invisibility and a shield that could reflect the stare of a Gorgon. He used these tools to successfully take the head of Medusa. Later, Perseus would foil Poseidon's attempt to have a sea monster known as the Kraken to eat the daughter of Cypheus, named Andromeda. Perseus married Andromeda, and their descendants became great kings. Eventually Perseus was killed by Dionysus, but he and Andromeda became constellations in the sky."

The lecture dragged onwards. John listened intently even though he was plenty upset about the detention, while Dave sat there and resolved to just ask John about it later.

_________

At the end of the day, Dave and John returned to Mr. Wither's. "Sit here, boys. I'll be back in forty-five minutes to let you out." 

Dave and John took their seats, both of them sighing. As soon as Withers left the room, Dave stood. "Finally." 

John looked around the room, as if looking for something to use in an elaborate escape plan. Dave shook his head. "Just stay sitting. I have to tell you something. It's important."

John tilted his head. "What's up?"

"Alright." Dave began, not sure how to start. "You ever heard of the 'Gateway Code'?"

"The Gateway Code? Yeah, I've heard of it. It's supposedly a code that lets someone dump their consciousness into a computer. It's an old Urban Legend. There's different ways that people have said that you can input it; typing the word and pressing enter, holding alt and typing it, and so on. Supposedly, it only works for certain people." John responded. Dave was taken aback; he hadn't expected John to know THAT much. "Why, what's up?"

Dave scratched the back of his neck. "Alright, well... This is going to sound weird, but... Me and Jade? We... did it last night."

He took a second to think about what he just said. "SHIT. I mean we did the fucking Gateway Code last night. You know what the fuck I meant." he protested as John snickered and sneered. Dave kicked him in the knee, but still he laughed.

"Ah..." John said, catching a breath and wiping away a tear. "No, but seriously, did you?"

"Yeah." Dave nodded. "Next thing; have you had any dreams lately? Anything involving falling in a black bunch of nothingness until you grabbed a card?"

John's eyes widened. "How the hell did you know?" 

"Me and Jade have had the same dream. Just different cards. It's a sign." Dave said. "I know this sounds stupid as fuck, but you've got to trust me."

"A sign of what?"

"That you've got some sort of power. That can only be used in the computer when you enter it with the Code."

John lifted an eyebrow. "So... there's a... way to get inside the computer?"

"There's like a whole world in there. And it's full of these weird black things... Oh! And apparently something jumps you and talks to you about your inner thoughts. The thoughts that you don't want to hear. It, like, takes a new form if you deny it." Dave added. "It happened with Jade."

John put a finger to the bridge of his nose. "I want to believe you, but you know how ridiculous this all sounds, right?"

"Look at who you're talking to, John." Dave said. "Do you honestly think Dave fucking Strider would be making this up?"

"No... I guess not." John said. "So, what, you want me to do the Code myself?"

"When me and Jade did it at the same time, we ended up in the same place. So if all three of us do it, we should end up in the same place."

"Okay... I guess it's worth a shot. Anything to experience some real supernatural stuff." John replied, still a little doubtful.

"Alright. We'll try it later tonight. If it works well, we'll get Rose on this too." Dave said.

After almost an hour, Mr. Withers unlocked the door and let the boys out. Along with John, Dave returned to the dorm for another night of checking out the mysterious world in the computer.  
___________


	6. The Key

"I'm heading to the library for a bit." Rose announced to the others. "I want to look up some books for us to go over to help us out in English, assuming that Mrs. Vendel isn't going to teach us anything."

"Cool." Dave responded, waving her off from the sofa. It was true; Mrs. Vendel had entered the class, introduced herself, and then began complaining about her life. There wasn't any teaching going on at all. There's always one teacher like that, after all, no matter where you go; even in a high-end establishment like Sassacre.

However, that was besides the point. Now that Rose was out of the dorm, Dave, John, and Jade could initiate the code and attempt to enter the world inside the computer without risk of discovery. When it was only Dave and Jade, the scene looked less incriminating; it was only the two of them slumped over on the sofa after a long day. In this case, however, it would look odd if all three of them were out cold with their faces on their keyboards.

Dave checked his phone's clock. 6:22 PM.

Dave gathered them in the living room with their laptops. "Alright. First thing's first. When we get in there, find John. I don't think we'll have any trouble with the weird black things since we have Personas, but John is defenseless."

Jade nodded obediently, while John sat there with a doubtful look on his face. "No pressure, right? Do we even know what happens if we, like, die in here?"

Dave smirked. "No, we don't. I don't intend to find out, either. We ready?"

"Ready!" Jade said with a smile. After her recent adventure in the computer world, she felt like she needed to prove herself. She would have her opportunity soon.

"Ready." John replied. He would never admit that he was extremely excited but also rather terrified of what was going to happen. 

"Now." Dave said, executing the string of keys that made up the Gateway Code. Jade repeated it, as did John, and within a short moment, all three kids had passed out as their consciousness entered the other world.

__________

Dave opened his eyes as soon as he came to and scrambled to his feet. He saw that he was in a library, a twisted sort of library at that. The walls were bookshelves that towered above him, twisting and fading into a heavy fog that obscured his vision past a few yards. 

Dave tightened his right hand into a fist, and to his expectation, his katana materialized into his hand. Armed and ready, he turned around to check the area out. Jade was behind him, standing up after coming to as well.

"Oh, good. We ended up at the same spot." Dave said, checking around for John. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd you get the sword?" Jade asked, pointing to Dave's katana.

"Oh, this thing? Uh... you just kinda will it to exist or something. It's weird. Just focus and clench your fist or something." Dave replied.

Jade looked down at her hands and formed them into fists, concentrating hard. A flash occurred, and when it dimmed, a rifle sat in Jade's hands.

"Holy shit, you get a rifle?" Dave said, almost a little jealous. Almost. 

"Looks like it! Should we find John?" Jade said, loading the gun with a level of familiarity that only marksmen would have. The fact that Jade looked so familiar with firearms admittedly frightened Dave. He silently reminded himself to never piss her off.

"Yeah." Dave said, looking around. "We should stick together in case any more of those weird things show up."

Jade nodded and followed Dave through the odd library, calling John's name. Dave heard a familiar sound and whirled around, holding his katana at the ready. Sure enough, there was another one of the odd puddle creatures, creeping up behind Jade.

Dave leapt forward and attempted a slash, despite the result of the last time he tried such a thing. To his surprise, the puddle recoiled from the blow as if in pain. Dave understood what this meant; only those with a Persona could harm the freakish monsters. They really needed to come up with a name for these things.

Jade took this as an opening and fired her rifle, striking the monster with a spray of bullets. The monster recoiled once more, then dissipated into smoke.

"Alright." Dave said. "So we don't need to rely on our Personas completely, then."

Multiple bullet shells hit the ground at Jade's feet. "Good! Where do we go now, then?"

Dave looked around at their surroundings. With all the books lining the walls and the heavy fog hindering vision, it was difficult to tell if they had passed this particular section of the library. "Shit, I don't know. It's like a maze in here."

She put a hand to her chin as she looked around. "Alright then. Watch this." Jade said, approaching a bookshelf. She reached forward and pulled one of the books out slightly, to where it stuck out of the bookshelf without falling. "Now we know we've been here before."

"Wow, good thinking. Remind me to never go into the computer without you again. I don't even know how I made it around your forest place." Dave said, smirking.

"Umm... Can we not talk about the forest place again?" Jade said, her happy expression fading as she thought about the encounter with her shadow.

"Oh." Dave said, feeling bad. "My bad."

"It's alright." Jade said, shaking her head. "Let's keep going."

Dave nodded and continued on while Jade followed, tilting books out of the bookshelves as they went forward. They continued to encounter more black puddles; Jade had deemed them 'shadows'; that fell to their attacks. They felt incredibly powerful and their confidence was at a peak when they finally found who they were looking for.

Sure enough, John was facing a shadowy, yellow-eyed version of himself.

"John Egbert. Prankster extraordinaire, movie expert, investigator of supernatural phenomena." said Shadow John, pacing back and forth in front of the real John. "But really, what the hell is all that worth? You think that you can get a degree in joy buzzers and spray flowers? You think you can land a good job with a bunch of Nicholas Cage quotes on your resume?"

John shudders. "Shut up." he muttered, gripping his fists. 

"What's the matter, underachiever?" Shadow John asked mockingly. "I'm just having a heart-to-heart with myself. Trust me, I know how you feel. I am you, and you are me."

"I said shut up!" John said, quivering. "What do you know about me?"

"I know EVERYTHING about you! Weren't you listening? I'm you." Shadow John said, ceasing his pacing. "I'll keep going, if you don't believe me. Let's talk all about how you're dreading the next two years. Who cares if your friends are here? Who cares if this could be your best high school year ever? That's not what you're worried about. You're terrified of life after High School. What use is the world going to have for you? Your friends all have talents that are worth something. You? You're just a little nerdy kid who will never go anywhere in life. You're scared, aren't you? You know that you'll be left behind while they go on to bigger and better things."

"They would never do that!" John protested. "I'm not worthless! And..."

Dave stepped forward. "John, don't say it!"

"And... you're not me!"

In a manner reminiscent of Shadow Jade's transformation, Shadow John cackled as the blue smoke that surrounded him turned to blood red. The smoke rose and covered Shadow John's form, blocking him from view as he took a new shape. 

Dave looked to Jade, and nodded. His card descended slowly in front of him, and with a battle-like exclamation of 'Hermes!", he sliced through it with his sword, shattering the card into pieces. Hermes materialized before him, holding his staff (Dave had recently learned that the proper word was 'Caduceus', but 'staff' just seemed to come mind).

Jade's card descended in a similar manner. "Hypnos!" she cried, aiming and firing at the card with her gun. Upon its' shattering, Hypnos materialized before her as well. Their Personas armed and ready, Dave and Jade stood to watch Shadow John reveal its true form.

The smoke dissipated, and there stood a large, twisted version of John clad like a Spartan warrior, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Though nowhere near the size of Shadow Jade's true form, it was still rather large, reaching to at least 7 feet in height.

"I am a Shadow, the true self." it announced, swinging its sword around idly. " If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise. Now come, and show me your worth!"

"You'll get more than that!" Dave shouted. "Let's go, Hermes! Burn his ass!"

Hermes obeyed and sent a fireball hurtling at Shadow John. Shadow John, completely undeterred, raised its shield and caught the blast. The fireball completely vanished, and the only evidence that the fireball had been fired at all was the red glow of Shadow John's shield.

"Aww, what the hell?" Dave shouted, gripping his blade angrily.

"Just hang on!" Jade said, preparing to command Hypnos. Before she could even mutter an order, Shadow John swung his shield and released a fireball from it. The fireball hurtled right towards Jade.

Jade screamed and covered her face with her arm, anticipating the end, but Hypnos dove in and took the hit. Jade fell back from the blast regardless, the damage her Persona receiving from the blast happening to her as well.

"Shit!" Dave shouted, unsure as to what they should do. "This thing can throw our attacks back at us."

Jade stumbled to her feet and shook her head to regain her composure. "What do we do then?"

"I don't know!" Dave said, ordering Hermes to attack with his staff. Shadow John brought up his sword, blocking the strike. 

"Not so fast!" the shadowy being shouted, forcing Hermes back with a powerful push.

"Hypnos!" Jade shouted, willing to try again. She thrust her hand forward to imitate Dave's commanding of Hermes. Hypnos responded by swinging its hypnotic clock in a circle, sending a blast of ice towards Shadow John.

Shadow John attempted to shield itself but was thrown back by the blast, apparently weak to the power of ice. Slowly its shield faded from the deep red glow to a bright blue glow, somehow taking on a new power.

"I think I get it!" Jade called. "If we hit it with fire, it'll block fire and will be weak to ice! If we hit it with ice, it'll block ice and be weak to fire!"

Dave looked at her and nodded. "Good call!" he shouted, throwing his hand forward once more. "Now!" he shouted as Hermes tossed another ball of flame. Once more, Shadow John attempted to raise the shield, but the blast knocked the shield away and sent Shadow John to the ground.

"Now!" Jade said, looking to Dave. "Let's get him while he's down!"

"Right!" Dave called back, running forward alongside Jade. He swung wildly while Jade unloaded clip after clip, damaging their foe greatly. With a final shout, Dave leapt into the air and drove his katana through Shadow John's chest, causing it to dissipate into smoke as it was finally defeated.

Jade giggled in victory and Dave pumped his fist, glad that they at least had the power to take down some major threats. If John was going to get a Persona; and if this were anything like Jade's scenario, then he would; then the three of them would be even more powerful.

Dave turned and looked to John, who was standing face to face with his Shadow once more. 

"John!" Dave called to his friend. "Look, don't deny it. It ain't gonna go away unless you accept it."

"What?" John said, looking at Dave with a raised eyebrow.

"Egbert, just do what I say, alright? It'll make sense if you go with it." 

John sighed and looked at his Shadow self. "I guess you weren't lying. I'm scared as hell!" he admitted, scratching his neck. "There's nothing that frightens me more than life after High School. But still, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to have to deal with it. I think my friends will be there to help me get through it, no matter how different we are. That's what friends are far. You know what it's like to have friends to depend on... You are me, right? Yeah, you are."

Shadow John smiled and disappeared into thin air, giving way to a grey-skinned, muscular man with styled back-hair and a set of Spartan Armor. He wore a shield on his left arm but bore no weapon, and wore a helmet that resembled the beak of an eagle. He wore a long blue cloak that fluttered behind him.

"Perseus." John muttered, having identified his Persona's name. Perseus faded from view to reveal a card, bearing the illustration of a man holding a bag on a stick and being followed by a dog. It was numbered 0. The card disappeared, and John was bathed in blue light just as Jade was.

"Looks like John's got one too now." Dave said, going over to his friend. "You alright, man?"

John looked up at Dave and nodded, struggling to get to his feet. "Yeah. Just tired." 

"Well then, let's get you home." Dave said, helping John up and supporting him with his shoulder. 

John looked at Dave and Jade. "So, why did we come here then? Was it just some kind of initiation thing for me, to get me on your team?"

Dave shrugged. "Honestly, I just want to know more about what's going on here. We've been given these weird powers for a reason, and if we keep going in here, maybe we'll learn more. Besides, it's something bigger than us. We'll be the next students-by-day, destroyers-of-the-supernatural-by-night. We'll get all Buffy on their Shadow asses."

John smirked. He DID like Buffy.

Jade pointed to the door that had appeared at the end of a hall in the library. "Over there." she said. "We'll be able to get out."

"Right." Dave replied, helping John through the door and back into the real world.

___________

Dave awoke with a start, finding himself back on the sofa. He fumbled and searched for his phone, and when he found it, he checked the time. 7:22 PM.

"We've been out for about an hour. Rose should be back any second now." he announced to the others, who were only just awakening. John appeared especially sluggish, having gone through quite the ordeal.

"Should we tell her now?" Jade asked. "She couldn't deny all three of us, could she?"

Dave shook his head. "No, I'll tell her. Like with John, I don't want to overwhelm her or anything. This is hard to believe. I only want you two to confirm it if she asks."

Jade nodded in response. John crossed his arms. "So did we find out anything new?"

Dave shook his head. "No. Your escapade went down just like Jade's did."

"So, you have to face you shadow before you can get a Persona?" 

"In you and Jade's cases, yeah." 

Jade looked at Dave in confusion. "What do you mean? You didn't have to deal with your shadow?"

"No." Dave said, shaking his head. "I'm not sure why, but I was able to use my Persona from the beginning. It just took you being under attack for it to activate, I guess. All the more reason to check more into this place."

John nodded. He was too tired to be excited. "We'll get Rose on it tomorrow, then?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Dave said. "I'll see if I can talk to her."

Jade looked to her brother, frowning. "John, you should get to bed. We'll talk about it all tomorrow once you're rested."

John nodded, standing with a groan. "Alright. Night." he said, dragging himself upstairs to bed.

As soon as John was out of earshot, Jade turned to Dave and smiled. "You were amazing in there, you know!"

Dave's eyebrow rose. "The hell do you mean? You were the one who was making all the smart observations and stuff. I would have been lost in there if you weren't there to act like a human compass."

Jade giggled, her cheeks flushed. "Awww, you don't mean that."

"No, seriously." Dave replied, smiling slightly. "Don't let me go in there without you there, alright? I would have no clue on what to do other than hitting things."

"Alright, alright. I guess someone has to keep an eye on you, Mr. Strider." Jade replied. "You just keep hitting things and let me do all the thinking."

"That's all I ever wanted."

Jade laughed, sitting back in the loveseat across from the one Dave was sitting in. "Seriously, though, thank you. Bringing me in there, having me face my shadow... It was all really scary when it was going on, but now that it happened, I think I understand myself better. I really needed that. And it wouldn't have happened without you."

Dave wasn't sure how to respond. "Well... that's what I'm here for. Catalyst of embarassing personal revelations and burner of large shadow things." 

Jade giggled again. "Thanks, Dave... really." she said. She got up and stood before him, holding her hands behind her back as if she were nervous. After a deep breath, she bent over and kissed Dave on the cheek, then retreated up to her room.

Dave placed a hand on his cheek, his minding taking a while to register what had just happened. He thought about what Jade was thinking, but as he did, he saw something. 

In his mind, he could picture a card, identical to the one that Jade used to summon her Persona. In addition, he could hear a booming voice not unlike the one that came from Hermes.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Sun Arcana."

The card then faded from his mind. He had no clue what had just happened, other than the fact that it had something to do with Personas. Creating Personas? He could have more than one?

Perhaps it was a question better left unanswered until the next visit to the computer world. Dave decided to turn in early, the exploration in the computer having worn him out.

__________

Dave saw a sight that he hadn't expected that night in his sleep. He opened his eyes to the sight of a blue room. The Velvet Room. Igor was right; he did indeed return here.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor said, clasping his hands together. "It seems that you have awakened to your power at last. And it seems that you have taken a number of your friends along on your journey as well. I expect great things from the strength of your bonds." 

Margaret nodded. "You possess the power of the Wild Card. With it, you can turn your bonds with people, your 'social links', into new Personas."

Igor flipped over a card, showing the card of the Sun Arcana. "You have already acquired the power of the Sun Arcana. I look forward to seeing what other bonds you might establish so that you may acquire even more power."

Dave had sat there the entire time, all the information being a lot to take in all at once. "So let me get this straight. If I make more friends, I'll get more Personas?"

Igor nodded with his signature creepy smile. "To put it plainly, yes."

"Alright. I think I get it." Dave said. "Make friends, get Personas. Got it."

Igor's smile faded to a look of exasperation, looking as if he was upset that he didn't get to hint at the power using cryptic allegory. "Yes, well... From now on, you will be able to enter this room at your own will. Take this."

A small key made of a metal the same color as the rest of the room floated down to the table. "This is the Velvet Key. Use it in good faith."

Dave took the key and pocketed it. 

"Remember, you are responsible for all of your own actions." Igor said. "Take these words to heart, and continue on your journey. Bonds are power. Remember that."

With a nod, Dave took that as a cue to close his eyes. He slowly felt himself fading from the Velvet room, and when he next opened his eyes, morning had come to the dorm.


	7. The Gang's All Here

The day dragged by as Dave looked for an opportunity to talk to Rose, but his sister had made herself busy since they had arrived. She was always reclusive, but since they had arrived at the high-standing Sassacre Academy, she had become even more distant due to her pursuit of high marks and grades. Now that they attended a reputable school (especially in comparison to their old High School), she had an even greater chance of going Ivy League if she wanted to.

To make matters worse, Jade seemed to be avoiding him that day. Every greeting, every utterance of "hey" was met with an "I should go" or an "I need to be somewhere" from her. Was she upset that Dave was once again taking all the responsiblity of talking to the next potential Persona user?

John had been the only person that Dave was able to talk to throughout the whole day. He knew little about the world inside the computer or the Gateway Code itself; a quick internet search turned up absolutely nothing. Apparently, the Code only existed through word-of-mouth. In that case, it must have been a local Urban Legend, which made Dave wonder who originally discovered it. Was it possible that there were others capable of entering the computer? It was a possibility that they couldn't discount. 

On that matter, Dave had learned of the Code from plane kid, who had attended the school as well. Dave was thoroughly convinced that plane kid, whatever his name was, was involved with the computer world as well. Maybe he had gotten Karkat into it as well. There was only one way to be sure, and that was to get the information from plane kid himself.

Dave found that he was incredibly hard to track. Whenever he had found him in the halls, he would always disapppear from sight before Dave had a chance to stop him. With no name to call out, Dave couldn't verbally stop him either. Neither John nor Jade knew anything about him; they knew Karkat since he had attended the school as a freshman, but his friend was notoriously elusive.

He considered asking Karkat. That seemed to be the best course of action. Who else knew him? Besides, Dave actually took classes with Karkat, while he took none with plane kid.

Dave's missions were clear; talk to Rose, talk to Karkat, talk to plane kid. 

As he walked through the halls with John to their final class of the day, they passed by one of the janitors. Dave was alarmed to see that he was, in fact, saying goodbye to plane kid after a conversation.

"Hang on." Dave said to John, heading over to the janitor. Plane kid had since disappeared into the crowd of students moving from class to class, but maybe the janitor knew something. "Uh, excuse me." Dave said.

The janitor turned around, looking at Dave. The man looked like quite the oddball; he had skin of an almost orange tone, with rather plain brown hair. His janitor's uniform was worn casually, with a green T-shirt featuring a winged sword being visible underneath. He wore a nametag that said "Hello, my name is Andrew"; which was odd, because none of the other janitors wore nametags. 

Andrew said nothing, simply looking at Dave. Dave looked around awkwardly, having expected a "What?" or a "Yes?". 

"Uh... Did you know that kid who you were just talking to?" Dave asked.

"Yes." replied Andrew.

Dave was a little unnerved. Either he was socially inept, or he was simply an incredibly odd person. "What was his name?" continued Dave.

"Gamzee Makara. Junior." Andrew replied. "'Junior' being his year. Who knows what his father's name is."

Dave finally had a name. "Alright, thanks." he said, still a little weirded out by Andrew's knowing stare and blank expression. Dave made note to avoid him in the future.

Dave returned to where John was, and together they walked to their last class; Physical Education.

___________

As was the usual with PE, the gym teacher Mr. Harlan placed some sports equipment around and then sat down, letting the students do whatever they wished. A few of them sat aside (Dave and John included), while a few others grabbed a few dodgeballs and lobbed them at each other. 

Dave and John were talking about miscellaneous topics when they both heard a loud 'thunk', then a 'thud'. They both whirled their heads around to see one student on the ground, having been hit with a dodgeball. Another 'thunk' and one more student was on the ground, nearly five feet away from where he was standing. Dave had never seen someone getting nailed with a dodgeball so hard; whoever had thrown it must have been a powerhouse.

John shook his head at the two poor saps that had been grounded. "Looks like Equius is on the field. This won't last long."

"Equius?" Dave said, looking up. Equius had to be the musclebound student in suglasses who was lobbing dodgeballs like cannonballs.

"Equius Zahhak." John said, pointing the musclebound student out. "Freakishly strong guy, one of those foreign exchange students. Remember when Jade said that we used to have an archery team until there was an equipment shortage? He couldn't pull a bowstring back without snapping the bow in half. Getting hit by him is a death sentence, so people usually steer clear with him."

"Exchange students?" Dave asked, looking at John.

"Yeah. During our freshman year, we got 12 new students. They were all in some sort of accident in their home country and they all moved to the US. They all have some sort of post-traumatic amnesia and can't remember anything about where they're from or what happened to them. All they know is that they're all really close, and they all hang out in one group most of the time. They all have a dorm to themselves."

"Do you know any of the others?" Dave asked.

"Sure I do." John replied. "I can point out a few that are in this class right now. There's Equius, like I said before; Sollux right over there, who's a master computer programmer. He teaches the comp applications teacher things, I hear; there's Eridan over there, who's kind of an oddball. He's really into science and stuff. And there's also Tavros; he's been in a wheelchair since he got here, but he's still a really happy, capable person."

Dave noted the four of them. "The other eight aren't here, right?"

John nodded. "Karkat and his friend are in a different class right now, and the girls in the group obviously don't take PE with us. Aradia, Nepeta, Kanaya, Terezi, Vriska, and Feferi."

"Weird names. They don't sound like the usual 'Pierre', 'Hanz', or 'Jose'. You sure you don't know where they're from?"

"Positive. Neither do they. They just showed up one day for all we know." replied John. "You sure it was Karkat's friend that gave you the Code?"

"Gamzee is his name, and yeah, I'm positive it was him." Dave said. "I'm wondering if any of them can use the Code too. I don't know why he would tell a random stranger like me and not tell his friends."

"Maybe he didn't know it was legit and just wanted someone to try it out for him because he was curious about the Urban Legend." John said. "Maybe he was too afraid to try it himself."

"I don' know." Dave said, crossing his arms. 

As they continued talking, Equius came over to them.

"Greetings." Equius said, more to Dave than to John. "I understand you're new to the school, yes?"

"That's right." Dave said, standing. "Dave Strider. Spinner of ill beats." he said, extending his hand to Equius.

Equius took his hand in a firm grip and shook it, causing immense pain to Dave, who felt that he wouldn't be able to use his right hand well for a few days. "A pleasure to meet you. Perhaps you should consider joining the Track team. We are short on members and some new blood would be appreciated."

Dave recovered from the intense grip, trying his hardest not to tear up or audibly cry out in pain. "N-nah. Sports isn't really my thing."

Equius tightened his grip.

"Shit, shit, shit, alright! I'll check it out sometime later!" Dave shouted, pulling his hand away from Equius' guillotine of a hand. 

"Thank you." Equius said with a smile, revealing many missing and broken teeth. "I shall see you there, Strider."

With that, Equius took his leave as the final bell rang.

Dave felt a familiar tingle in his head, and could see another card in his head. The voice that he had heard yesterday rang in his head;

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Strength Arcana."

So this was what Igor was talking about. He must have gotten the Strength Arcana from Equius. However, there were much more important things to pay attention to at the moment.

"Fuck!" Dave said as soon as Equius was out of earshot. "Son of a bitch, it feels like my hand is broken!"

John shook his head. "I told you he was freakishly strong. Also, 'Spinner of ill beats', Dave?"

"Hey, don't judge me for getting my spin on, yo." Dave said, shaking his hand out of pain. "Sometimes I gotta represent."

"Stop talking like that, Dave." 

"Hater."

__________

Dave didn't find any trace of Gamzee after school and left to the dorm, resigned. Maybe heading to the foreign exchange student dorm would be a good idea once he found out where they lived. 

Entering the dorm, Dave saw Rose reading on the sofa, while John and Jade were saving up groceries in the kitchen.

"Rose, can I talk to you for a bit?" Dave asked?

"Is it about the dreams and the world inside the computer?" she asked, not even looking up from her book.

Dave looked at Jade and John, crossing his arms. "You told her? Seriously?"

John shrugged. "Don't look at me!"

Jade nodded. "Well, you were taking a while. I decided to fill her in. She believes us."

"Do you?" Dave asked Rose, looking at her.

Rose noddded. "I had an odd dream identical to John and Jade's. It would've seemed coincidental if they hadn't guessed it before I was able to tell them about it. I'd like to see this computer dimension for myself."

"Just a warning." Dave said, crossing his arms. "When you're in there, you're going to be faced with a shadow version of yourself. It's going to talk to you about your weaknesses and innermost thoughts. You'll have to be able to accept it. If you deny it, it'll turn on you and go berserk."

"I'm well in-tune with my own emotions. I'll be fine." Rose said, preparing her laptop. "Shall we?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah. Let me grab my computer really quick." 

Within a few minutes, the four of them had gathered in the living room. 

"Ready?" Dave asked.

The other three nodded in reply.

"Now." Dave said, inputting the command. Jade, John and Rose followed and in a moment, they had all slipped out of consciousness and into the computer world.  
________

Dave awoke to feel his hands on cold brick. Opening his eyes, he could see that he was in some sort of Gothic castle or cathedral. 

The architecture was magnificently detailed, and the paintings that decorated the walls portrayed wizards of all cultures and types. The generic western wizard, the eastern carpet-flying wizard, and many more. The chandeliers that hung from the ceiling burned with flames of many different colors. Lining the walls were pedestals holding several magical items; wands, wizard hats, and crystal balls. 

Dave heard both John and Jade coming to behind him. "Rose's place is pretty slick." he mused, looking around. 

John rubbed his forehead. "Talk about." he said, reaching over to touch a wand on one of the pedestals. His touch was interrupted by an electric shock, sending him back a few feet.

"Dude!" Dave shouted, going over to help him up. "Lesson learned. Don't touch the cool wizard shit."

John nodded, patting down his hair that was now up on end. "Right. Let's go."

"Hang on." Jade said, materializing her weapon into view. "Remember how I told you to summon your weapon?"

"Yeah. Just focus really hard and grip your hand." John said. As he said, he foucsed himself and tightened his grip. The characteristic flash occurred, and John was holding a warhammer. John nearly dropped it, but was able to hoist it up. "Wow, neat." he said, giving it a two handed swing. The hammer struck the ground, causing a crack in the stone to form.

Dave nodded, impressed. "We better get to Rose, quick. I'm pretty sure she'll just tell her Shadow self to fuck off, but you never know."

The other two nodded and followed Dave through the castle, encountering greater resistance from the Shadows than in John or Jade's instances. John's Persona, Perseus, seemed to be wind-oriented, being capable of conjuring great gusts to blow their enemies away. This created an opportunity for teamwork between him and Jade, who could freeze them while he blew them away to shatter them against a wall.

John was performing better than Dave had thought. Then again, this kind of thing was probably John's dream; to be a hero like in all of his shitty movies. Maybe once they got Rose into the gang, they'd find out more about themselves and why they were given their powers. She was good at deducing things.

Dave, meanwhile, wasn't seeing what Igor meant by changing Personas. When he tried calling out the name of a different Greek God, Hermes appeared anyway and the other two looked at him weird. 

Regardless of his single Persona, Dave was still easily the powerhouse of the group. Having been the one with the Persona before anyone else, regardless of how short of a time frame there was between each of them receiving their Personas. He was still the most experienced, and his Persona seemed like a cut above the rest. 

As they continued through the halls, John repeatedly hammered the bricks so that they could tell where they had already been. Eventually they reached a large set of double stone doors, obviously the entrance to a grand room.

"This must be it." Dave said, going forward to push them forward. The doors were locked. "Dammit, locked. We need to break them down."

"Got it." John said, stepping forward and swinging his hammer at the doors. His hammer met the stone with force, but caused no damage and shook John up from the recoil. 

Jade looked up at it. "You know how to break stone, right Dave?"

"Hell if I know." Dave replied. "Hitting it a lot apparently won't work."

"If you rapidly heat it and cool it, it might break. We should try that." she said, looking to him.

Dave shrugged. It was a better plan than any. He summoned Hermes and had it blast the door with a continuous stream of flame until the door was slightly glowing with heat. Jade followed suit with a few blasts of ice, cooling the door down to a normal temperature.

"Now, John!" she shouted. John responded by summoning Perseus and having him ram the door with his arm-mounted shield. The now-brittle wall crumbled easily from the force, opening a way to the room where Rose and her Shadow were standing. 

It looked like an elegant throne room, with royal purple drapes and banners hanging around, as well as massive murals of wizards lining the walls. 

"Oh, look. Your friends are here to hear all about you." Shadow Rose said, sitting in the throne sideways with a hand supporting her head.

"You can continue talking all you wish, but you're not going to upset me." Rose responded. "I've already told you, I accept you as who I am."

"You can say that all you want, but is it really true?" Shadow Rose asked. "You have to mean it! And you don't. You're frustrated, I can tell. You're upset because I'm not going away when you tell me to. Because things aren't going your way."

Rose said nothing, her stoic, emotionless face giving way to a frown. Her Shadow was touching a nerve.

"You think you've got everything figured out, don't you?" Shadow Rose said, descending from her throne and approaching Rose. "Books, studying, being informed, being ahead of the academic game... That's knowledge. Not wisdom. You have a singular lack of a sense of practical application, and you know it."

"You're wrong." Rose said defiantly as her Shadow drew closer. "That's not what I'm like." she protested, her plan of ignoring her Shadow's taunting going up in flames.

"When you're out of your element, you get upset. When things aren't going how you like, your tough, high-and-mighty act shatters instantly. Even John is more adaptable than you are!"

"Stop!" Rose cried out, her facade of emotionlessness completely eroded.

"The world isn't going to bend to your will. It's high time you realize that and start doing something more productive than writing shitty fanfiction that no one will ever read! Trust me, I know! Because I am you, and you are me!"

"No!" Rose shouted. "No, you are not me!"

"Dammit!" Dave said, summoning his Persona. It was coming. John and Jade did the same, preparing for battle.

Shadow Rose cackled loudly, undergoing her transformation. The room became much brighter as two massive, pearlescent wings emerged from the red smoke. Shadow Rose's main body came into view shortly after, resembling Rose wrapped in fancy linens. Her shining appearance was of great contrast to the interior of the dark, dimly lit castle. Shadow Rose carried two lances, both of them held high and proudly. 

"I am a Shadow, the true self!" Shadow Rose announced. "Come and show me what you can do!"

Dave readily drew his sword and immediately let Hermes unleash its flurry of flames.

Shadow Rose recoiled slightly, but it was obvious that the attack was like a bug bite to her. 

John had Perseus go next, bringing up a gust of wind at her. Again she was pushed back, taking little damage.

"It's going to take more than that!" Shadow Rose shouted, raising one of her lances and summoning a bolt of lightning. The bolt shot out and struck Dave square in the chest.

"FUCK!" Dave cried as he flew back. If Jade's weakness was fire and John's was ice, then it appeared that his was lightning. He hit the ground hard and slid a bit, dropping his katana.

"Dave!" Jade said, commanding Hypnos to use a healing spell on Dave.

Dave felt his strength returning as the spell hit him, and he was able to return to his feet. This was not an ideal; they were doing crap for damage to it, and it possessed the ability to hit his weakness.

Igor's words rang in his mind; Bonds were his power. Who was he close to?

Dave looked at Jade, who had a look of worry on her face. He remembered the card that had appeared in his mind, and heard a name being called out in his mind. 

"Yatagarasu." 

Dave understood what that meant.

Rising to his feet, Dave walked back over to where Hermes was floating, and raised his hand at it. Instead of directing it to throw more fire, Dave motioned his hand as if flipping something over. 

Hermes faded into blue light and became a card again, floating back down to Dave.

"Yatagarasu!" he shouted. The Fortune image that was on his card changed to the Sun, and when shattered, a different Persona emerged in front of him.

A large, three-legged crow floated in the air in front of Dave. This is what Igor meant when he referred to his multiple Personas. He couldn't control more than one; at least, not at one time. It made sense now.

Dave felt confident with his new Persona floating above him. Shadow Rose, on the other hand, looked enraged. With an inhuman roar, she sent another lightning bolt at Dave, intending to snuff him out permanently.

The bolt reached Dave, but was instantly reflected back at Shadow Rose, striking her with great force. 

"Badass!" Dave shouted in delight. John and Jade looked at Yatagarasu in awe, wondering if they too could use multiple Personas. Dave would have to inform them otherwise at a later time.

Rose's shadow rose from the ground and flapped its wings angrily. "Very well! You leave me no choice! Hama!" it shouted, raising one of its lances. The lance shone with a twinkle.

Jade was surrounded by shining pieces of paper, resembling Japanese curse tags. The tags floated for a second and then brightened, catching Jade in a bright flash. She cried out for a moment, then fell to the ground unconscious. Her Persona faded away as she hit the ground.

"Jade!" Dave said, having his Persona send out a blast of fire.

Shadow Rose backed down slightly. John went over to Jade, looking to Dave. "Goad her into throwing another lightning bolt! I think she might take more damage from attacks reflected back at her."

Dave nodded and stood in front of John and Jade, his Persona flying in front of him.

Shadow Rose again threw out a lightning bolt that redirected itself back at her. Dave wondered how much she could take before she realized it was pointless. 

With another shriek, Shadow Rose unleashed the attack that she had used on Jade. Dave found himself surrounded by the tags, and braced himself for the flash. He felt himself completely unnafected, however; his change in Personas made him effectively immune to Shadow Rose's attacks.

"Take it out!" Dave shouted, having Yatagarasu fly forward and strike at the shadow with its three talons as Dave charged forward.

Shadow Rose descended as she was assaulted by the crow, and when she was within reach, Dave leapt forward and dug his sword right into her, dragging her down to the floor completely. She dropped her lances and dissipated into smoke, leaving a tired Dave to revel in his tactical victory.

Jade came to shortly after, struggling to her feet. The battle had taken a lot out of her; they would have to be weary of any attacks like that in the future.

Dave looked back towards the throne, where Rose was getting back to her feet and looking at her shadow. She seemed to have calmed down.

"Rose, we don't judge you!" Jade called out. "We understand!"

Rose looked at Jade with a forlorn frown, but nodded. She turned back to her Shadow. "Alright, I'll admit it. I can be a spoiled brat. I can be impossible to deal with when my dealings go sour. I accept that as a part of myself that I hope to diminish. There's no point in being confident about who I am unless I truly accept everything about me. Which includes you... because you are me."

Shadow Rose smiled and faded into a card, and then to a floating robed woman wearing a crown and sporting smaller versions of Shadow Rose's pearlescent wings. Rose announced its name to be 'Isis', and was bathed in a blue glow as it disappeared.

"Ready to leave?" Rose asked, turning to the others wearily. She fell to her knees, but Dave ran over to pick her up and support her. 

"Ready when you are." he responded, helping her through the newly formed door to the outside world, followed by John and Jade.

__________

The rest of the night passed quickly as the entire group was considerably worn out, and sleep quickly took them as they went to bed.

The following Saturday morning, Rose called them all to the living room table and laid out a deck of cards.

"These are Tarot Cards." Rose said, laying out a few as an example. "Apparently we each correspond to one in the computer world. I am represented by the High Priestess..." she said, flipping over the card of the High Priestess, numbered II.

"Jade, by the Sun..." she continued flipping over the card of the Sun, numbered XIX.

"And John, by the Fool." she said, flipping over the card of the Fool, numbered 0.

"What about me?" Dave asked, reaching for the card of the Fortune, numbered X.

"From what John and Jade told me, you summoned a second Persona during the battle. I was hardly conscious for most of it, but I trust what they say."

"Yeah, I can do that apparently. I have this 'Wild Card' power. I get dreams sometimes, different than what you guys get. I appear in this room, that they call 'The Velvet Room'. It's got this freaky dude with a huge nose, and this blonde chick standing with him. They tell me all about what I can do, but it's all cryptic and shit. I have to sit there and think about it."

Rose tilted her eyebrow. "The 'Wild Card'?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah. Igor says it's the ability to turn 'bonds into power'. Basically if I'm friends with someone that represents a tarot, I can summon a new Persona from that. Like Yatagarasu, he came from the Sun Arcanum or whatever you call it, which is Jade's."

Jade blushed, thankful that she was able to help.

"I think only people who are invited to that room have that power, though." Dave said. "He called me 'one of the first guests in a while' or something. So there must have been people before me."

"Then it's safe to assume that the three of us do not possess the ability." Rose said, taking a sip of her coffee. Dave couldn't help but shake her head; Rose took her coffee black, something which confounded Dave. He could never drink coffee without tons of sugar. No cream though. He wasn't a little girl.

"Dave, I think it's also safe to assume that you will most likely be more powerful than any of us with this ability." Rose continued. "If you can adapt your abilities as the situation demands, then you will have more versatility than any of us."

Dave nodded. "I guess that's pretty useful." he said.

Jade looked up. "I wonder what it's going to be like now that we've all got Personas though. Each time we entered with someone who was new, we ended up in some little world tailored towards them, including me and that forest. If we've all got Personas, where do we go?"

"We should find out." John said. "Maybe they're something like tutorials, and now that everyone's got a Persona, we can enter the main game."

"Except that this isn't a game, Egbert." Dave said. 

"It's kinda like one." John replied. "Things have elemental weaknesses, we hit bad guys with blunt or sharp objects, yadda yadda. Sounds like a video game to me."

"In any case, we'll just have to find out when we go in the next time." Rose said. "Now that each of us possesses a Persona, we should be able to combat anything that threatens us. With Dave's Wild Card, we'll be at an even greater advantage."

Dave hated having people depend on him or viewing him as a leader, but it appeared he had no choice. It wasn't like he could just give his power away to one of the others. At least, he didn't think he could.

"Alright. We'll go tomorrow though; I'm exhausted" Dave said. "And as much as I hate to admit it, we still have school to worry about. So we should probably limit computer world visits to once a night. We're all exhausted after going in anyway."

Rose nodded. "We'll also have to keep this a secret from the others."

Dave looked at her. "The others?"

"The seniors? Dirk, Jake, Jane, and Roxy? They're all moving in starting next week. Seniors start a week later than we do."

"They should be here tomorrow, actually." John said. 

"Then we'll have to do this someplace else. One of our rooms." Jade said. 

Dave and John immediately threw their hands up, saying "Not mine" simultaneously.

Rose shook her head. "I'd prefer it not be mine either."

Jade sighed. "Alright, my room. We can do it there."

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow morning, we'll head in from here and see if anything's up. Then later, if we need to go back, we can use Jade's room. We can just say we're studying together or something." Dave said.

"We'll just have to avoid getting caught." John said. "It's kind of exciting!"

Dave nodded with a slight smile. He had no idea that the situation was much larger than they all could have ever realized.


	8. The Arcade

Dave awoke the next morning, having barely been able to sleep the previous night out of anticipation. It was 7:48, earlier than he was intending to get up. As he descended down the stairs and entered the living room, it was apparent that the others felt the same. Jade, John, and Rose sat in the living room with their laptops on the table, anxiously awaiting for their 'fearless leader' to join them. Once again he was the last one to rise in the morning. 

Taking his place on the sofa next to John, Dave cracked open his laptop. "Okay... We've just gotta take this one step at a time. We don't know what the hell is gonna happen, so first step is to find each other so we don't get our digital asses served to us on fine digital china if we're caught alone."

The group nodded in response.

"Then... we need to find out more about this place. Whatever we can do. See why we're able to go there." Dave continued. "That's all."

"You got it." Jade said, closing all of the open programs on her machine. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Dave responded. "Let's do it."

__________

The first thing Dave noticed upon entering the computer world was that he wasn't face-down on the floor. He was on his own two feet, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself in an area not unlike an arcade. The others were at his side as well, looking around at their surroundings.

A feminine, robotic voice was heard over what sounded like an intercom.

"New user registration confirmed. Dave Strider; Error. Jade Harley; Sun. John Egbert; Fool. Rose Lalonde; High Priestess. Welcome to Asphodel."

Asphodel? 

"One part of the Greek Underworld." John said, sensing Dave's confusion. "Tartarus, Asphodel, Elysium. Kind of like Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven."

"So you're telling me we're in the afterlife?"

"It's probably just a name."

Dave shrugged and stepped forward towards a console which showed various names and pixelated characters next to them, not unlike the characters on an old console RPG. Dave was surprised to read the first four names on the list.

"Roxy Lalonde, Moon, Artemis. Dirk Strider, Judgement, Ozymandias. Jane Crocker, Star, Hera. Jake English, Tower, Odysseus." he read aloud, assuming the little pixelated characters were those four people. "Hey, aren't those the seniors that are coming in later today?"

Rose walked over, examining the list. John and Jade were quick to follow. As they studied it, four more names entered the list; Dave Strider, ERROR, ERROR. Jade Harley, Sun, Hypnos. John Egbert, Fool, Perseus. Rose Lalonde, High Priestess, Isis.

"It's a list of us, our arcana, and our Personas..." Rose said. "We weren't the first here, then. The others were here before us; who knows how long they've preceded us?"

"I wonder why we ended up here." Jade said. "Instead of some random world, turning up seperated."

John looked around. "Didn't you hear it earlier, 'new user registration?" he asked. "I think all that business with our shadows and the individual worlds for each of us was some sort of registration for the real thing. Enter the world with someone who's not registered, and they get that. Enter it with a full group of registered users, and you end up here."

"It's like a hub." Dave said, pointing to various doors in the arcade. "Look at those doors and their labels. They're labeled for each of us." 

Indeed, the doors were labeled with their names and a short description; Jade Harley, Lonesome Forest. John Egbert, Library of Expectations, Rose Lalonde, Castle of Zazzerpan. There were doors for the other four as well, in addition to a door for Dave. Dave's door was different from the others; excessively padlocked, bound by iron bars, and otherwise excessively secured.

"Well, shit." Dave said, walking up to the door, tugging on one of the padlocks. Wondering if his badass katana could cut some of the chains, Dave gripped his hand and attempted summoning his katana, but to no avail.

Dave looked at his hand, looking at his hand in confusion. "Guys, try using your weapons."

The others tightened their fists, but like Dave, they were unable to summon their weapons.

Jade huffed and concentrated, attempting to summon her Persona. Once again, the attempt was unsuccessful.

Rose looked up at the doors. "I suppose that this area is some sort of neutral zone. I suspect that our powers would only work in the respective worlds through the doors."

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Dave said. There weren't any other doors that didn't lead to worlds that either belonged to the seniors, or belonged to them and had already been explored. "We can go into their places, but I guess they've already cleared out their own shadows if they've got Personas. So is there a point?"

"Perhaps we should ask them." Rose said. "They've had access to to this place longer than we have. I wouldn't be surprised if they knew more."

"Good idea." John said, standing with her. "I'd rather ask them before taking any huge leaps and charging in blindly."

Dave shrugged. "Fine. But we should do something eventually. If they don't know anything, we'll have to figure things out on our own."

"Agreed." Jade said. 

Dave turned to the exit, identical to the doors that they had used to exit the other worlds. Shrugging, he walked through to return to their world.

___________

Dave awoke with a start. The others awoke as well. The time was 8:50.

"Jeez, we were out for longer than I thought. Weren't we only in there for a few minutes?" Dave asked.

"Maybe we just didn't notice." John said. "We weren't paying attention in light of all that information."

"I doubt it." Jade said, standing. "Maybe time passes differently in here than out there."

"Anything's possible, right?" John mused, crossing his arms and sitting back against the couch. "So when are they going to get here?"

"Easy, Egbert. Do you really want to ask them right off the bat? I wouldn't be comfortable if a group of people I don't even know started asking me about my recent supernatural adventures. Ease off." Dave objected.

"Dave's right." Rose said. "We will need to work our way to that topic."

John shrugged and sat, already bored from the short wait.

"Well, while we're waiting..." Jade said, looking around nervously. "Dave, can I ask you something?" 

"Yeah, what's up?" Dave said. 

"Let's... go outside first." she said, nodding to the front door.

Dave shrugged, nodded, and stood up, following her out.

__________

"What's this about, Har?" Dave asked.

"Well... I just wanted to thank you again." Jade said, leaning against a tree that was planted just outside their apartment.

"For what?"

"For... Being here, I guess. It's funny... I had this all played out in my head, but now I can't remember a word I was going to say."

"Being here?" Dave asked. "Moving to Seattle, you mean?"

"Yeah." Jade said, crossing her arms. "We can't exactly choose where we're at when we're young like this, so the kinds of people you go to school can't be chosen either. After meeting you and Rose online, well... People at school really didn't compare. I tried making friends, but it just wasn't the same. I couldn't really... connect with anyone. It's like I was spoiled."

"Of course you were spoiled. You were friends with Dave fucking Strider." Dave responded, leaning against the side of the dorm.

Jade giggled. "See, that's what I'm talking about! You two really are special. And now that you're both here, I feel less out of place. Plus, all this stuff with the Personas and the computers... It isn't all bad if we're in this together."

"Yeah, I couldn't picture doing this alone." Dave admitted. "Whatever it is we're trying to do."

"Hopefully it isn't something too dangerous." Jade said. "We're clueless, and I'd hate for one of us to be hurt. We still don't know what will happen if one of us gets badly injured in there."

"Well, we feel really tired when we get out. I'd prefer not finding out what happens beyond that."

"Agreed." Jade said, looking off into the distance. "Hey, Dave?"

Dave looked at her, awaiting a question.

"Do you think... we could hang out sometime? Just the two of us?"

Dave's eyes widened, though the gesture was hidden behind his shades. He honestly hadn't expected the offer. "Uh... Yeah, sure. I don't see why not."

Jade took a deep breath out of relief, then smiled. "Alright, good. We'll talk more about it later then; look!"

Dave turned his head in the direction that Jade was pointing. A van was approaching down the street towards their apartment.

"Is that them?" Dave asked.

"Must be." Jade said, opening the front door. "Hey, they're here!"

__________

The van parked in the dorm's small parking lot, and out hopped the four seniors. Dave had been a little curious about the identical last names he and Rose shared with Dirk and Roxy, and it was clear that there was a resemblance when he saw them. He had always been told that they had family in Seattle. Perhaps they were distant cousins from each side of the family. It was either that, or a freakish coincidence.

Jake approached and shook Dave's hand. "Dave, right? Jake English. Great to meet you."

Dave nodded. "Yeah. This is Jade, John, and Rose." he said, hesitating to say more and hoping that someone else would take over introduction duty.

John noted Dave's hesitation and took over. "Your rooms are settled and all that's left is for you to move in!"

Dirk nodded, going to hold the door open for the other three. Jake went through first, followed by a somewhat stumbling Roxy. Jane was last, standing on her tip-toes to kiss Dirk on the cheek before heading in.

John leaned over a bit to Jade. "Are they...?"

"I guess so." Jade said, shrugging. After all four seniors entered the building, the juniors followed suit.

Roxy took a seat on one of the loveseats in the living room as her three companions went upstairs to save up the luggage, smiling at the others. "So two of ya are knew, right?"

Dave and Rose nodded. 

"How do ya like the place so far?" Roxy asked, leaning forward. She spoke with a hint of a Boston accent, slightly slurred. It was apparent that she had been drinking.

"It's quite lovely." Rose said, sitting across from her. "We're adjusting quite well."

"Good!" Roxy said. "So tell me all about yourself. Where ya from?"

Dave looked to John while Rose occupied Roxy. "Which one should we ask?" he whispered, keeping an eye out for another one of the seniors. 

"Dirk looks like the ringleader." John said. "He probably knows the most."

"Roger that." Dave responded.

__________

The seniors had spent a good amount of the day moving their things and setting up their rooms. When they finished, they returned downstairs to the smell of Jade's cooking.

Dave was glad that Jade was at least a little proficient in cooking. It certainly beat any attempt Rose would make; to her great frustration, she was an utter failure as a cook. Dave had to admit the same; back in Texas, his diet mostly consisted of instant noodles and various sandwiches.

Everyone was served a simple meal of rice and gravy. Dave sat with John and picked at his food, awaiting a chance to bring the topic up.

"I think we'll get along smashingly!" Jake said, eating his food eagerly. "I think we've all got things in common."

"Umm... Speaking of which." John said, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "You guys play any computer games?"

Dirk shook his head. "Haven't for a while."

Roxy placed aside her glass, hiccuping slightly. Dave wondered how she got away with alcohol on campus, but it was apparent that she was quite experienced in doing so. "Well, there waaaaas that one game we played in the computer, right? That wa-"

Jane slapped Roxy's knee. "Roxy, hush!"

Rose shook her head. "We know."

Dirk looked over. "You know what?"

"The world inside the computer." Jade said. "We saw your names in the hub arcade. We've all been in there."

Dirk hung his head. "Wow. So we aren't the only ones. Great, now we know even less."

"What do you mean? Don't you know something about it?" Dave asked.

Jake shook his head. "We're completely clueless except for a few things. Roxy was the first to go in, and then she told us all about it."

"Would ya believe that none of them believed me?" Roxy said, another full glass in her hand. Dave swore that he hadn't seen her get up to get another one.

"I do, actually." John said. "It was crazy when Dave told us about it too."

"So, Roxy, does that mean that you have this 'wild card' ability too, since you were the first of your group?" Rose asked, taking down a few notes.

"Wild card?" Roxy asked, confused.

"The ability to summon multiple Personas while in the computer world." Rose clarified. "Just like Dave."

Dirk looked at Dave. "You can what?"

"Like Rose says, I can use different Personas." Dave said. "I just have to be friends with people and I get more of them."

Roxy shook her head. "No, I ain't got that. I just talked it out with my shadow and then poof!"

"She accepted her shadow immediately." Jane clarified. "Unlike the rest of us. She was there each time to save us."

"So you all don't know anything about why the computer world exists either?" Jade asked, sighing. 

"No." Dirk responded. "It exists and we've all been in it to get our Personas. As if it's like a test or something. There's only been that arcade room every time we've gone in after our first times. You can go to any of the previous worlds, but the only things in there are the normal shadows. Not the special ones like our own. Since you guys saw our names in there, I guess you saw the doors to our worlds too."

"Yeah." Dave responded. "With ours too. Except for mine. I never had one. The door that leads to what's supposed to be mine is deadbolted and locked."

"Never had one?" Jake asked. "How did you get your Persona in the first place then?"

"It was just kinda given to me." Dave said. "I didn't have a test like the rest of you."

"Then maybe you're the key we've been looking for to progress further." Jane said. "It's been a few months since we first entered the world. Roxy had heard a rumor and decided to try it when she was bored, and then got us into it. We visited quite a few times but nothing was ever different. Maybe we'll find some way to get through your locked door."

"It'll be a wait-and-see thing." Dirk said. "We'll check on it every few days for any sort of change."

"Good." John said. "Maybe things can be normal for a while, until we get some news of a change in there. Sorry to spring this up all of a sudden."

"It's cool." Roxy said, placing her empty glass aside. "Now we have something special in common! We get to work together!"

Jade nodded. "I have a feeling that we'll all get along just fine."

After dinner, the the eight of them split up to their individual rooms. Monday was tomorrow, which to Dave meant another chance to find Gamzee.


	9. Purely Theoretical

Dave sat next to John in History, hoping for a fast end to the day so he could once again search for Gamzee. Mr. Withers went through roll-call as he did in the beginning of each class.

There was indeed an empty desk, but Dave wasn't sure who it belonged to. 

"Jade Harley."

Jade was indeed there and raised her hand to indicate as such, sitting right behind Dave. Though they couldn't talk in class; Dave and John weren't willing to risk another grueling detention period again; Jade often messed with Dave when she was bored. Drawing on the back of his seat, poking him with the eraser of her pencil, and other small things. Dave didn't mind as long as she wasn't too bothersome; everyone was bored when Mr. Withers was in charge, and he understood that whatever she could do to help alleviate the boredom was a necessity to stay awake.

John blanked out for a while until a certain name caught his attention when it was called; "Vriska Serket".

Blushing, John turned his head to the right, looking over to the back of the class where Vriska usually sat. Her desk was empty.

It wasn't an odd occurrence. Vriska often skipped class whenever she felt like it, yet managed to achieve top marks on tests and exams like it wasn't even a challenge to her when she was present. Something seemed wrong to John though. He couldn't quite place his finger on what it was, but an odd feeling nagged at him.

Withers rolled his eyes and wrote down Vriska as absent. He knew she wouldn't miss enough class to be expelled, but it frustrated him to have a student manipulate the system so. 

Dave, on the other hand, had mastered the art of pretending to be awake in class. Because he wasn't allowed to wear his shades in class (which he had decreed to be a complete and utter travesty and an infringement on his freedom of expression), he resorted to brushing his hair over his eyes and sitting back in his chair, nodding off while Withers lectured.

The class passed quickly. Dave awoke with the bell, and drowsily brought himself to his feet and out of the door.

__________

Dave scanned the crowd at lunch, set on his goal of locating Gamzee. John had left to go grab some food, while Dave insisted he wasn't hungry. It was a lie, of course. He was pretty much starving, but force of his curiosity drove him to keep searching.

Spotting the frizzy head of unkempt hair that belonged to Gamzee, Dave quickly began pursuing his elusive target. He wasn't going to get away this time.

When he caught up to him, Dave saw that Gamzee was accompanied by Karkat, as usual. What he had to say was for Gamzee only; he'd have to get him alone, or remain vague in his words.

"Hey, Gamzee!" Dave called.

Gamzee turned around. Finally, he had acknowledged Dave for the first damn time since the plane trip. "Sup, stranger bro?"

"Stranger?" Dave said, crossing his arms. "Don't you recognize me?"

"Nah." Gamzee said, shaking his head. Karkat looked at Dave as well, raising an eyebrow. 

"We were on the plane to Seattle? You were sitting right behind me."

"Plane? Ain't been on a motherfuckin' plane in my life, bro."

Dave couldn't tell if Gamzee was lying or sincerely clueless. His expectations of getting all of Gamzee's information on the Computer World were shattered. "I... I saw you on the plane. You told me about a code. Some urban legend thing. You called it the Gateway Code."

Gamzee shrugged. "Bro, I've never seen you before in my damn life. You're either on some good shit or you're thinkin' of someone else."

Dave sighed, rubbing his brow. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Sorry about that." he said, defeated. He wasn't going to get anything out of Gamzee. "Sorry, we kinda got off on the wrong foot. Dave Strider." 

"Gamzee Makara." replied Gamzee, shaking Dave's hand. "This here's-"

"Karkat. I know him already." Dave interrupted, waving a hand at Karkat.

Karkat nodded, averting his eyes to his hands. He seemed worried, distracted even.

"Sorry, bro. Karkat here's just a little bummed that one of our friends ain't doin' too good."

Dave tilted his head. "You mean Vriska, right? She wasn't here today."

"Yeah." Gamzee said. "Went to sleep the other night, hasn't woke up since. She's in some kinda coma. Fuckin' sucks, but there ain't nothin' none of us can do for her. She's in the hospital right now."

"Shit." Dave said, knowing that John would want to hear about that. John's crush on Vriska was hardly a secret, but it was rarely brought up. "Sorry to hear that, but... I'd better go. I'll talk to you guys some other time."

"Coo." Gamzee said, nodding at Dave before turning around and walking away.

"Well. That was a waste of time." Dave muttered to himself as he approached John and the others at their usual table.

"Hi, Dave!" Jade exclaimed, smiling. "Did you finally get to talk to him?"

"Yeah, I did. He claims he doesn't have any clue about what I was talking about." Dave replied. "I would've said 'fuck it, it was just a dream' at this point, but there's no way he was a dream. He was there. He has something to do with this. There's no doubt in my mind."

John shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we'll see him in the computer world sometime. If he's the one who gave you the code, he might know how it works. I can't imagine why he'd tell anyone without having trying it first."

"Maybe this is some sort of plan." Dave said. "Maybe he's trying to get people into the computer world for some reason. Maybe he knew that if he told me, I'd tell my friends. More people would be in on it."

"That's a damning accusation, Dave." Rose said, looking up from her book. "But it's something we need to consider. If Gamzee is lying, then we shall have to maintain a constant vigil and look for any changes in the computer world."

"We should check tonight." John said. "There's something bothering me. I just want to go in and give it a look."

"Alright." Dave replied in agreement. "Oh. Gamzee says that Vriska's in the hospital. She's in a coma."

John looked up alarmingly, as did Jade and Rose. "A coma? She seemed fine the other day." 

Rose closed her book and looked down, contemplating thoughts in her head. Dave nodded to John. "That's what Gamzee said. He didn't say why, just that she's not doing well."

"You don't think that this has something to do with the computer world, does it?" Jade asked.

"What gave you that idea?" Dave asked, confused as to how that was related to Vriska's condition.

"Wait." Rose said, looking up. "Jade may be on to something."

"What do you mean?" John said, a worried look on his face.

"Each time we enter the computer, we lose consciousness, correct?" 

"Right." Dave responded. 

"Vriska and Gamzee are both part of the foreign exchange students that John and Jade said arrived here years ago. If Gamzee knows of the code, there's no reason that he wouldn't be capable of relaying it to others just as he did with Dave." Rose continued. "Assuming that Gamzee is indeed attempting to get people involved with the computer world; for whatever his agenda compels him to do so; he may have gotten Vriska to use the code. Perhaps she is trapped, without anyone to defeat her shadow for her. If this is indeed Gamzee's goal then it would make sense for him to not tell Dave anything about it."

"So if we don't go in there and defeat her shadow, she might get killed in there?" Dave asked.

"This is all purely theoretical, but that is a logical assumption, yes. I shudder to think what might happen if someone is killed in that world. It seems as though our consciousness dives into the computer world while our physical bodies are left behind; it might not be beyond reason to assume that if someone dies in the computer world, then their consciousness is eradicated and they will never wake up in the real world."

"Then we have to go in tonight and check to see if she's in there. Then we save her if she is." John said. "This is all a guess, yeah, but it seems too good of a theory to not be true. Call it a hunch."

"Then it's settled." Jade said. "We should ask the seniors to come with us." 

"I agree." Rose said. "We'll stand a better chance against anything we find if there are more of us around."

"We can talk about it more when we get back at the end of the day." Dave concluded. "We'll see about all this then."

__________

The day passed by slowly; agonizingly so now that Dave had something to look forward to by the end of it. When the final bell rang, he made for the door without waiting for the others and headed straight back to the dorm.

When he arrived, he was indeed the only person there. It would only be a short time before the others arrived, however, so he decided to set himself up with his laptop at his usual spot around the coffee table.

Upon opening his laptop, Dave heard an odd sound not unlike an instant messenger notification sound. It wasn't his Pesterchum alert, however. It was something different.

He looked down at the bottom-right side of his screen and saw a window of text open. It reminded him of the command prompt windows that opened when you ran a file from the computer's operating system. It wasn't something he was familiar with, but he knew that John dabbled in such things. The window had one line of text.

"Unregistered User in Asphodel awaiting registration."

"Shit." Dave muttered. There really was someone in the computer. From what he remembered of John's guess in the arcade, 'registration' was the process where a person was confronted by their shadow. They would have to act fast. In the past they had always entered the computer world at the same time as any unregistered person and were able to get to them relatively quickly. There was no telling how long this person had been inside the world; if it was indeed Vriska as they had hypothesized during lunch, then it couldn't have been more than a day. Adding that to the fact that time seemed to pass at a different rate inside the computer, Dave was at least hopeful that there was still time to act.

It occurred to Dave how odd it was that the computer world apparently had its' own messaging software, but he was thankful for it at the moment.

Jade, John, and Rose entered the dorm not long after Dave had seen the command prompt. 

"We need to get in there quick." Dave announced. "There's definitely someone in there." he added, showing the others the message he received.

"I guess we can't wait for the seniors." Jade said. "Whoever's in there is probably living on borrowed time as is. Let's go."

John and Rose both nodded and ran upstairs to grab their laptops, and then joined Dave and Jade (whose laptops were already at the coffee table). 

"Alright. Let's do this." Dave exclaimed, inputting the Gateway Code and then losing consciousness along with the rest of the group.


	10. Rescue

In the blink of an eye, Dave found himself standing with his friends in Asphodel.

"Aren't we supposed to wind up in the world holding the unregistered person?" John asked, looking around.

"Maybe that only applies if we go in at the same time as them. Who knows how long Vriska's been in here." Jade answered, stepping towards a door that wasn't in the arcade before.

"We don't know that it's Vriska yet." John said, looking in another direction for any clues.

"Yes we do." Dave said, pointing to the small bar-screen above the new door, which plainly read 'Vriska Serket: Prison of Manipulation'.

"Dammit." John muttered, approaching the door. "Then we need to get going."

Dave nodded and motioned for him to open the door. John complied and stepped through. Dave followed, as did Jade and Rose.

The term 'Prison' was quite appropriate. Before them was a dimly-lit prison hall, lined with the rusty bars of abandoned prison cells and decorated with eerie cobwebs. 

"Looks like something straight out of a cheap horror film." John observed, summoning his hammer. Rose followed suit, and two abnormally sized sewing needles appeared in her hands. Though they looked impractical, they were likely sharp enough to be used as daggers. 

"That'll work." Dave commented, swishing his katana around. "Let's get going."

The sound of metal bending rang from deeper in the prison, and was followed by a few metal bars being tossed into a wall not far from the kids' location. From beyond a newly-formed hole in the wall, a shadow that resembled a detached glove crawled towards the group.

Almost simultaneously, the four kids summoned their respective Persona cards. Dave called on his newest social link; that of The Strength; to see what sort of Persona it would grant him.

"Titan!" he shouted, the name coming to him subconsciously. The ability still seemed strange to him when he thought about it, but when put into practice, he took to it like it was second nature to him. Perhaps it was. 

Dave slashed his card, and fading into its' place was a large, extremely muscular man outfitted in Roman centurion armor and wielding a massive sword. It was not unlike John's shadow self, albeit a few heads taller.

The hand-shadow 'stood' in a sense, using its finger appendages to pace back and forth erratically in front of the group. It seemed completely undaunted by the force the kids presented with their myriad of Personas.

John was the first to break the initial ceasefire, having Perseus charge forward to slam into the hand. The attack made contact and the hand went up in smoke like all shadows did when defeated; however, Dave spied two figures leaping out of the smoke.

"It split in two!" Jade shouted observantly, taking aim and firing at one of the new hands with her rifle. The new hand went up in smoke and did not split.

Dave took the cue and had Titan slam his sword into the remaining hand. The hand attempted to dodge but was struck, splitting into two smaller hands like the initial shadow.

"Oh, come on!" Dave groaned as Titan stood back up from the attack. As powerful as he was, Titan's swings and recoveries were slow.

Rose stepped up next. "Here, an easy solution!" she said, lifting one of her needles. Iris responded by lifting a hand and beating her pearlescent wings.

The two hands were suddenly surrounded by curse tags; Dave recognized them as the spell that had taken Jade out during the fight with Rose's shadow; Shadow Rose's spell only encompassed Jade and not the entire party, however.

The tags glowed and emitted a flash; when the light faded, the two hand shadows were gone. "A simple matter of destroying them simultaneously." clarified Rose, twirling around her needles with a smile. 

"Nice." John said, lowering his hammer. "We'll let you handle any of them, then. I don't think I can make Perseus hit more than one thing at a time."

"Me and Hypnos can't either." Jade said, reloading her rifle. Dave wondered if it came with bullets when she conjured it. "We should move on."

Dave nodded and took point, venturing further into the prison with his friends. Their Personas followed in back of them, making not a sound. The group passed through the hole in the wall and came across a large door labeled with the words 'Solitary Confinement'.

"This must be it." Dave said, approaching the door and opening it. 

The room beyond the door was almost completely dark, save for a light that shined on a girl in the middle of the room. The complete blackness that surrounded her made it hard to judge just how large the room was.

"Vriska?" John called, stepping into the room. He could easily recognize that it was her, but there was something odd about her. The biggest difference from her normal appearance was the fact that she had two horns sprouting from her head, one of them resembling a stinger and the other resembling an insect's claw. Her skin was also a pale grey as opposed to her normally fair skin.

Vriska looked up at the sound of John's voice. "John?" she called out, standing. "What's going on? Where's Gamzee?"

Dave walked in next after John. "Gamzee? What does he have to do with this?" he asked, surprised that their earlier guesses of Gamzee's involvement may have been correct.

"That asshole is the reason I'm in here!" Vriska stated angrily, looking at their group. "He did something to my head... made me type in some code into my computer. Now I'm stuck in here with that other version of myself and I've got these weird things..." she continued, touching the horns on her head. "I just want out!"

"But you can't leave." echoed a distorted version of Vriska's voice. "No one would be waiting for you on the outside anyway."

Vriska's eyes widened with a look of terror and she whirled her head around, looking for the source of the voice. "I already told you, leave me alone!"

"You think words will do me in? You think you can control me?" 

Another Vriska, obviously her shadow self, crept into view from beyond the vast darkness in the room. "You think that you can just manipulate me like all the others, don't you? Telling me to go away will make it all better, right?" She mocked, chuckling lightly as she saw the real Vriska's face. 

Vriska stood in silence, slightly trembling.

"No one likes you. You know that, right? Being a huge bitch to people to get what you want only works so much until they all get fed up with your bullshit. You end up with no friends acting like that. But you can't stop. You love the feeling of being in control. You catch them like flies in a spider's web, and toy with them until they can escape."

Vriska fell to her knees, shuddering even more.

"But your web is getting weaker. It's getting smaller, more brittle. Flies just buzz on past it. They know you. They know your nature. You go right around and blame them for how they avoid you, but you know deep down that it's your fault.You're the bitch no one wants to be around because they know they'll be hurt. In your quest to make people like you; whether they want to or not; you're really just pushing them away."

"Stop!" Vriska shrieked. "Shut up! What do you know?"

"What DO I know?" Shadow Vriska asked, stepping around Vriska and softly stroking her hair. "I know all about you." she muttered softly, kneeling down to Vriska and looking her in the eyes. "I know everything there is to know about you. Because I am you."

Dave sighed. "Dammit, here it comes. We really need to attack before these shadows give their creepy speeches next time."

Rose shook her head. "It's good for a person to hear the things they repress from themselves. It helps them come to terms with who they are. You would be amazed as to how much more comfortable being one's self can be when they understand their entire psyche."

John and Jade nodded their heads. Dave often forgot the gravity of the situations that the others had to go through to get their Personas; in a way, he felt a little excluded. He wondered what his own shadow would tell him, had he had one.

"Go to hell! You're not me!" Vriska shouted, standing up and taking a swing at her shadow. Her shadow grinned and dissipated, re-appearing a few feet above in the air. Vriska looked on with tear-stained eyes, 

"And there it is!" Shadow Vriska shouted, engulfing herself in the reddish-black smoke that was characteristic of the stronger shadows. The ball of smoke grew larger while Shadow Vriska cackled maniacally.

The group readied their weapons as the smoke faded from view, leaving behind a huge spider-like shadow Vriska that hung from the ceiling. She retained her horns and grey skin, while her face seemed mostly intact save for her one of her glasses lens being replaced by a fleshy eye patch with several glowing 'eyes 'adorning it. Her legs were quite angular and ended in blades at the joints and at the ends. The darkness faded from the room, revealing rusted metal walls completely coated in spider webs and various unreadable phrases written with black paint.

"I am a Shadow. The true self!" bellowed Shadow Vriska, crawling across the ceiling. "A web is both a prison for the hunter and the hunted! Just try and escape from mine!"

"Don't mind if I do!" John shouted, readying his hammer as Shadow Vriska dropped from the ceiling, hitting the ground with a loud thud just behind Vriska.

Vriska backed away but wasn't quick enough, her shadow gripping her with the un-bladed parts of her legs and quickly spinning a web around her. Vriska struggled despite being caught in the web cocoon, which Shadow Vriska attached to the ceiling.

John charged forward alongside Perseus and swung his hammer at Shadow Vriska's leg. Perseus readied itself to conjure up fierce winds in conjunction with John's assault. 

"Is that all?" Shadow Vriska taunted, swinging her leg at John and knocking him away. The hit broke John's concentration, causing Perseus to lose its spell as it fell back.

"No heroics, Egbert!" Dave shouted, having Titan approach the shadow.

Shadow Vriska grinned and wove a web at Titan's feet from a distance, stopping its' advance completely. "I'm not even trying!" she shouted mockingly.

Dave groaned and concentrated, summoning Yatagarasu in place of Titan. Titan faded from view, leaving behind the webs that the Shadow have woven, and gave way to the three-legged crow Yatagarasu.

As Yatagarasu dove and weaved around the balls of web that the Shadow shot at it, Rose commanded Iris to fire bolts of lightning at the Shadow, causing temporary distraction.

Shadow Vriska roared in annoyance, approaching the group. Her every step with her bladed legs pierced the ground, shaking the room. Once in range, she began a barrage of slices with her two front legs. 

Jade, Rose, and John's Personas swarmed in front of the group and blocked the onslaught as well as they could, though the hits taken by the Personas were felt by the kids as well.

Shadow Vriska suddenly roared as Dave dug his katana into her thorax, spilling blue blood onto the floor. Vriska rolled over, throwing Dave away into the wall.

The other three were able to rest for a moment as they recovered from Shadow Vriska's frenzied attack, with Jade speeding the process by curing each of the others with a spell from Hypnos.

Dave attempted to pull away from the wall, but found himself stuck in the webs. "Shit! Stuck! Stuck!" he shouted, unable to command his Persona well with his arms restrained. Yatagarasu flew around eratically while Dave struggled against his restraints, eventually running into the wall as well and becoming caught up in the web.

John, whose Persona was hardier than Rose or Jade's, stood ready to strike as Perseus once again readied a casting of a wind spell. Shadow Vriska angrily drove her bladed leg at John, who leaped out of the way. The Shadow's leg was stuck in the ground after striking it with such first, a situation that Perseus took advantage of by blowing a full-force wind at Shadow Vriska.

The Shadow was blown away, slamming into the ground not far from the group. "Wind must be her weakness!" Rose said, looking to John. 

John nodded and looked up, noticing that his wind spell had blown away some of the webs lining the walls, freeing Dave, Yatagarasu, and knocking the cocoon that contained Vriska from the ceiling.

"Perseus!" he shouted, having his Persona conjure up another gust of wind in the center of the room.

The wind blew away the webs coating Vriska, who gasped at air once her mouth was freed from the cocoon. Shadow Vriska struggled to regain her balance but was unable to fight the oppresing winds that Perseus was creating.

John approached with his hammer, looking Shadow Vriska in the eyes.

"Lights out." he muttered, raising his hammer in the air and slamming it down on the downed Shadow's head, splattering blue blood across the floor. Dave tried his best to not laugh at the terrible one-liner.

Shadow Vriska dissipated into smoke and regained her former form of a Vriska clone, her head once again intact even though John had split her earlier one like a watermelon.

Vriska sighed and got up from the ground, weakly approaching the shadow. "You haven't had enough?" she asked, putting her arm around John's shoulder to support herself.

"Vriska, it's just going to attack again if you don't accept it." John told her, looking at her. Dave, Jade and Rose approached the two from behind, ready to act should Shadow Vriska attack once again. "Don't worry, we'd understand. We had to go through this too."

Vriska shook her head. "I... guess I don't have a choice. But she was right. She really was. She read me like a book." 

Shadow Vriska looked down at the ground like a dog that had done something wrong.

"You're completely right. I'm a huge bitch." Vriska said, looking at her Shadow. "And people are always going to see me as a massive bitch. It's who I am. But I can accept that it's what's holding me back. Maybe that will help me change. You knew me, you knew what was wrong. You really are me."

The Shadow looked back up with a smile and faded away, being replaced by a tarot card marked with the number 9.

"The Hermit." Rose clarified. Dave was ever-grateful of her being able to make sense of the occult parts of the computer world; otherwise he'd be completely clueless.

The card then faded into a blue light, that bathed Vriska's persona; a bare-chested woman whose long blue hair fell down to cover her breasts. He lower body was that of a spider with a blue astrological symbol for 'Scorpio' adorning the abdomen.

"Arachne." Vriska muttered, her eyes closing as Arachne faded. After the blue light faded from her body, Vriska collapsed. John was able to catch her before she hit the ground.

"She must be exhausted." Jade said, feeling her forehead. "We need to get her out of here."

"Right." John said, looking down at the faint Vriska with a blush in his cheeks. He picked her up and took her through the newly formed door to exit the computer world, followed by the others.

__________

The four of them woke up in the middle of the living room where they had been when they entered the computer world. The seniors stood around the living room on their computers as well, though they were awake.

"We were going to go in after you guys, but Asphodel wouldn't let us!" Jake said. "It said something about a player limit."

"Apparently each world can only hold four players at a time." Dirk said. "What were you guys doing in there? The new door wouldn't let us through while you four were in it. Who's 'Vriska'?"

The four juniors, primarily Rose, explained the situation to the seniors. 

"So this Gamzee fella mind-controlled her or somethin'?" Roxy asked, sitting back in her armchair.

"That's what we're guessing." Dave said. "I guess she woke up in her dorm. It's not our physical bodies that dive into the computer after all. We're gonna talk to her tomorrow and see how many beans she can spill."

"Easy, though." John mentioned. "She's been through a lot. She was in there longer than the rest of us."

"True." Dave said. "Then it's decided. Egbert will be her knight in shining armor and will take on the heavy burder of talking to her."

"What?" John exclaimed, looking at him.

"Look, you were the one who smashed her Shadow's head in. If that doesn't designate you as the diplomat in this situation, I don't know what will." Dave replied, crossing his arms. "It's a great way to start a conversation. 'Wow, your face looks great when it's not smeared against the floor'."

Jade punched Dave on the arm. "Dave, quit it."

Dave looked at her with a hurt expression, but stopped with the teasing like she asked. "Seriously though, I think you should talk to her. She knows you best out of all of us. Ask her about the Gamzee situation. Let her know that you get what's up with her."

"Alright." John said, blushing. "Tomorrow then." 

"Tomorrow." Dave repeated, looking to the stairs. "I'm beat. See you guys later."

"Same." Rose said, standing and heading to the stairs.

Jade patted John's shoulder as she followed. The seniors dispersed to get up to their own activities, having not been exhausted by a trip to the computer world.

Sighing, John stood and retired to his room as well.


	11. Nighttime Antics

The next day passed rather quickly for John. After the strenuous fight that had taken place the previous night, sitting around in a school desk for a few hours was a welcome change in pace. His heart quickened when the bell for lunch rang, however. Talking to Vriska about anything serious was something he could barely do in the first place. He was always convinced that he sounded like an utter idiot most of the time, so why not act the clown when his serious-talk skill was lacking? He had at least made her laugh a few times. He wasn't sure if it was at him or with him, but putting a smile on her face was enough.

When he located her at lunch, he saw that she crouched against a wall with her head against her knees, in stark contrast to her normal proud posture with her head held high and her legs crossed. The things that her shadow said to her must have truly got to her, more so than himself and the others.

Taking a deep breath, John walked over to Vriska and sat next to her against the wall, crossing his legs and fumbling with his hands. John noticed that she was now hornless, and her skin had once again returned to its original fair tone

"Hey." he said after wondering how he could start the conversation for a few moments.

Vriska sighed, not lifting her head. "Hi, John."

"Sorry about what happened last night." John muttered quietly. If anyone had heard that, he could only fear how badly it would be misinterpreted. "You know, with the shitty one-liner and the hammer smash."

Vriska shook a little; not from tears, but from slight laughter. "Shit, John." she said, looking up from her knees."I'm not mad about that. You didn't do anything wrong. None of your friends did. If you wouldn't have come by then I probably would gotten killed. I had resisted her for a long time, but... she broke through at the end."

"We're not going to judge you, you know." John said. "It was pretty bad for us too. Whatever those shadows are, they know how to get under our skin."

"So Gamzee threw all of you in too?" Vriska asked.

"No." John answered. "Dave was the first to go in. Gamzee told him the code and he did it himself. He wasn't mind controlled or anything like you said. When he told Jade about it, she believed him right away and tried the code out too. But instead of getting her Persona right away like Dave, she had to face her shadow. So did the rest of us. Dave's special. None of us know why, but he got a free pass and he gets more Personas than the rest of us. We've been thinking about why that's so, but we just don't know. The weird thing is that Gamzee got to him before they even got to the school. It was on a plane."

"Gamzee's a slippery son of a bitch. I wouldn't put it past him." Vriska stated. "I would have never thought he would be into all this supernatural stuff but he was always a little reclusive. Not even Karkat knew much about him and they were best friends. How he got to that plane, though, I have no idea. He used to lock himself in his room to smoke for hours at a time but he'd walk right out after he was done."

"Maybe you can ask him tonight?" John asked. "He might respond more to someone he knows."

"Then you don't know?" Vriska asked. "He's not here. He's gone."

John's eyes widened. "Gone?" 

"Yeah. Today we went to wake him up like we do every morning and he didn't answer. So we went inside and he was just gone. His room was left like he had never left. We were just down one Gamzee." Vriska confided, stretching her legs. 

"Well." John muttered. "That isn't good."

"You're telling me. I have no clue what he's up to, but he might take another one of us and send us into that world. And if he does, I'll catch him in the act and kick his ass for what he did to me."

"Not to save your friends?" John asked.

"Well, they wouldn't run to save me if they had the chance." Vriska retorted, a little venomously.

"You don't know that." John said.

"Please, John, spare me the sentiments. You heard what my shadow said and it was all true." Vriska replied, slumping further against the wall. "She said everything that I didn't want to tell myself. You know why I act like such a bitch, John?"

John didn't want to say she wasn't a bitch, because he knew she'd just assure him that she was. Really, no matter what he told himself to justify his attraction to her, she really was a bitch sometimes. Silently, he shook his head.

"It's because I can't stand failing." Vriska said. "I need to be in control of how my life is going. And I like to be number one. Always on top. I feel that when there are more people below me, then there are less people that can tell me what to do with my life. I can't stand being manipulated... so I go right ahead and manipulate others. Survival of the fittest, right? The others must hate my guts."

John bravely put a hand on her shoulder. "The shadow did say you were a bitch, and if you say she was right, then she was right. But she didn't say anything about your friends, right? They know how they feel about you. You can ask them, maybe confide in them."

Vriska sighed, unsure.

"And hey, if that doesn't work, then... I can use another friend." he added, looking away nervously.

Vriska smiled. "John, you dork." she said, pushing him jokingly. "Of course we can be friends. I mean, I guess I owe you for splattering my other self across the floor, right?"

John nodded, smiling eagerly. It wasn't a marriage proposal or anything, but it was a good start. "Alright. I'll go tell the others about what you said. Can I, uh, call you sometime?"

"Sure." Vriska said, shrugging as if it weren't a big deal but winking afterwards. Girls confused John. She hastily scrawled her number onto a slip of paper and handed it to John. John took it and smiled as he read the text.

'Don't 8e a stranger! :::;)

818-1337

-Vriska'

"Alright." he said, looking at her. "You sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah." Vriska responded with a nod. "I've just got a lot to think about."

___________

 

The last bell of the day rang a few hours later, and John walked back to the dorm with Dave.

"So? Give me scoop. How soon are we gonna have to sound-proof your room, Casanova?" Dave teased.

"Shut up, Dave." John responded. "She gave us some good info. And she'd be willing to come by and talk to us about it whenever we want. She wants to get back at Gamzee."

"Don't blame her. Think he'll strike again?"

"Probably." John said. "He'd be a pretty shitty bad guy if he stopped after his first attempt, right?" 

Dave smirked. "Yeah, true. The villains never stay in their cell for more than one comic. You think they'd have learned to build some titanium alloy shit around the Joker's cell by now, right?"

John laughed. "Knowing how plot devices work, he would just pull some titanium-melting-ray out of his pocket and make his daring escape. Again."

"I wonder how many bottles of stress pills Batman goes through in a week." Dave joked. 

Jade, who was standing outside the door of the dorm, waved to the pair as they approached. "Hi guys! Me and Rose wanted to go somewhere and we wanted to know if you two wanted to come too."

"Go where?" Dave asked. "What's there to do in August, the worst month of them all? There's jack shit to do. It's like, National Goat Cheese month, but that's it. No festivals or holidays or anything. Not to mention it cooks like an oven when the sun's out."

Jade shook her head, smirking oh so slightly. "Nothing so fancy, dummy. We just wanted to go eat somewhere."

"Oh, cool." Dave responded. "Sure, let's do it." 

"Mind if I invite Vriska?" John asked, holding up his phone. "I could tell all of you what she told me, but I think it'd be better if she told you herself."

"Sure, why not?" Jade said, shrugging. "She'd have to pay for herself though."

"Gotcha." John said, relaying the message to Vriska via text. 

__________

The group met Vriska at the on-campus Chinese restaurant an hour later.

"Hey, guys." Vriska said, waving. "Listen, thanks again for helping me. I didn't deserve that, but I'd be dead if it weren't for you guys."

Jade shook her head. "It was the right thing to do! Don't worry about it."

"'sides, we would have been stuck on square one if you hadn't gotten kidnapped." Dave said. "Silver lining, you know? Now we know a bit more about that computer place."

"Gee, thanks." Vriska replied with a smirk. "Let's go inside."

John jogged over and held the door open for them, 

Minutes later, the group had situated in a booth with their food. Dave and John sat on one side while the three girls sat on the other.

"So, what do we know?" John asked, lightly picking at his noodles.

Dave looked up from his bowl of soup. "Gamzee's probably the one behind this. Every time someone new gets put in, a new door gets added, meaning a new world can be explored and checked out. Mine's still locked. Basically, we still really don't know shit."

Jade looked to Vriska. "Who's closest to Gamzee, Vriska?" she asked.

Vriska placed her fork down on the table. "Well, Karkat's his best friend, but Terezi... Well, they didn't much care for one another, but that didn't stop them from going at it like animals for a while."

"Really?" John asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. Those two would keep us up for hours." she said with a sigh, rubbing her temples as she recalled many sleepless nights. "It made Karkat real mad because he had just broken up with her... But eventually he and Gamzee started acting like best buds again, and Terezi stopped going to his room at night. She doesn't talk about it much."

"You talk to her a lot?" Dave asked. 

"She's my best friend." Vriska replied. "Which basically means I was less of a bitch to her than most people. Still, we talk about a lot things. But never her and her thing with Gamzee. I just wrote it off as her just needing a bit of relief from sexual frustration or something. Guess it's easier for her since she can't see those stupid faces he probably makes."

"What do you mean?" Dave asked.

"Terezi's blind." John replied. "Been so since they got here."

"She's got great senses otherwise and she uses a cane to help her get around. She copes well and most people can't even tell." Vriska continued. "But yeah, Gamzee and her aren't a thing anymore and she doesn't like talking about him, so I think it might be better to just ask Karkat."

"Noted." Dave said, returning to his soup.

"What do you make of this, Rose?" John asked, looking over to her. Rose had been uncharacteristically quiet the entire time that they were at the restaurant.

Rose shrugged. "I think you've all established a good thesis. I will simply follow along whatever course we decide to plot."

"I want to be sure Gamzee's the one doing it." Dave said, cutting off John before he could ask if Rose was okay. "He's probably going to go for it again like Vriska says, but... there's really not much we can do unless something happens."

"Dave's right." Jade said. "We can't do anything in the computer unless someone new gets put in there. And we can't put anyone in ourselves. I guess we could tell more people about the code, but how long would it take for someone to start spreading news of that around? How many people can we rescue in there in a single day?"

"Are you suggesting that we let Gamzee throw more people in there?" Vriska asked, her voice showing mild irritation.

"Is there anything we can do to stop him?" Dave asked. "We have no idea where he is."

"I have to agree with Dave." John said. "It's not like we can camp out and wait for him to get someone to use the code. You said he mind-controlled you to do it; who knows how far of a distance he can do that over?"

Vriska sighed. "He was right next to me when he did it to me. It was about midnight and I was up on my computer because I wasn't able to sleep. He opened my door and walked in... I was about to nail him in the face with something blunt but I couldn't move. I just typed out the code and passed out. Then you guys saved me, and I woke up the next night. Everyone was about to get me to the hospital when I woke up. I just told them I skipped out on class and slept in for a while... I do it often so they bought it."

"Still. We only have one instance of this happening." Jade said. "So we can't really assume anything."

Vriska sighed again. "Alright. We let Gamzee strike again. Hope he takes someone with a more stable mind than me."

"Indeed. Hopefully." Rose muttered, almost spitefully. Vriska eyed her, but let the comment slide. Were Jade not between the two of them, Vriska might have reacted a little more violently. Dave and John simply raised their eyebrows and stayed silent. They knew better than to not shut up when something like that was said.

"Well!" Jade said, breaking the tension. "Enough talk about the computer, yeah? We came here to have fun!"

John nodded. "Right! Maybe we should make plans for some other time too."

"There's always a public event on campus for Labor day each year." Jade said. "It's just a little get-together for all the students, with a bit of music and food. Maybe we can go to that?"

"Sounds alright to me." Dave said. "Maybe I could work the tables for that."

"Oooooooooorr you can hang out with someone for it." Jade said as she leaned forward, obviously hinting at something.

"Yeah, maybe." Dave replied, oblivious to whatever Jade was getting at.

Jade made a slight pouty face and sat back in her seat.

Vriska looked at John, grinning. "You wouldn't happen to have to work the turntable for that, hm?"

John shook his head. "No?"

"Feel like going together, then?" she asked, twiddling her fingers.

"Oh!" John exclaimed, blushing a bit. "Yeah, sure thing!"

"Good. We'll talk about it later." Vriska replied, winking at him again.

Rose stood from her seat. "I'm still feeling a little fatigued from our escapades in the computer... I think I shall return to the dorm for tonight."

"You sure?" John asked.

"Yes, John, I'm sure." Rose said, gathering her things and making her way out of the restaurant.

Jade sighed with a worried look on her face. "I'll catch you guys later!" she said, getting up and going after Rose.

Dave shook his head. "Oh boy. I'm out." he announced, taking his leave as well.

"Dave, wait!" Vriska called, looking at him. "If you ever need extra help in the computer world, I'm ready to go and kick some shadow ass whenever you need me. John's got my number."

"Got it." Dave replied, nodding and stepping out of the restaurant.

As Dave took his first step into the night air, he felt a familiar feeling in his mind, the same that he had seen when he met Equius. Before his eyes materialized a tarot card resembling a cage; or perhaps a lantern; with an eye beneath it. The card itself was numbered 'IX'.

Dave heard a feminine voice in his head, regaling the mysterious mantra that accompanied each of his new social links.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Hermit Arcana."

The card faded from view as the others did in the past. Dave couldn't bring a new Persona's name to mind, but he knew that it would be revealed to him in time.

After his little metaphysical episode was over, Dave returned to the dorm.

__________

Dave awoke from his slumber that night to the sound of an opera singer. It was the third most noticeable thing about the Velvet Room, right behind to the striking color and Igor's nose.

"Oh. Hey, Igor. What up?" Dave said as he sat up in his chair.

Igor looked at Dave almost disapprovingly. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. It seems that the outline of your quest has become more visible to you in recent days."

The long nosed man flipped over another card, the same Dave had seen earlier. The Hermit card.

"Your power is growing. But what will you do with it, I wonder? Where is your journey destined to end? How many are going to make it to the finish alongside you?"

The last bit of Igor's mysterious advice caught Dave's ear more than most of the stuff that he rambled on about. "What are you talking about?"

"As you progress in your trials, more shall be revealed to you. Keep those whom you hold close, close to your heart. Bonds are not so easily broken even once one half is no longer present." Igor said, continuing to be as cryptic as possible.

Dave groaned. "Dude, can you cut the all the riddle bullshit and tell me what's going on? Seriously, wandering blindly through the dark is starting to get annoying."

Igor rubbed his forehead. "Our previous guests were much more... receptive to the advice we offered."

"Well maybe your last guests were huge tools, but you're telling me some of my friends might die? Fuck you! I'm not going to sit here and be spoon-fed a bunch of cryptic warnings and wait for it to happen! If there's something I can do, then tell me how to do it!" Dave shouted angrily, slamming his fist on the table.

Igor did not flinch or budge. "I ask only that you take what I say to mind as you proceed. It is not my duty to reveal the exact details of what is laid before you. Even if I had the desire to do so, I would not."

Dave groaned and returned to his seat. "Alright, fine, I get it. Bound by some kind of godly code or something. What the hell am I supposed to do, just sit there and take it like a college dropout with daddy issues?"

"Simply continue to pursue your power's true capabilities." Igor answered, waving his hand over the card on the table and causing it to disappear. "Do this and you may cause a miracle. All is not lost so long as you use your power to its fullest."

"Make more friends." Dave said simply. "Got it."

"We will speak again, hopefully on more pleasant terms." Igor said. "Farewell."

Dave closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep until the next day.


	12. Relative Instability

John thudded his fist against Dave's door. "Dave! We're going to be late!" he shouted, leaning up against the door. Dave was always one to drag himself out of bed, but he usually didn't sleep through his multiple alarms.

Dave groaned and rolled out of his bed, falling on the floor with his blanket to soften to fall. "Hang on." he muttered, his voice muffled by the blanket. He forced himself to his feet and outfitted himself in his uniform, albeit a bit sloppily so.

"Fuck you, Igor." Dave muttered to himself as he went to his door and exited the room.

John crossed his arms. "You okay?"

"Fucking peachy." Dave replied, lifting his shades and rubbing his eyes. "I didn't sleep well, alright? I'll have to fight through today."

"Well, I hope you're going to be awake enough after school." John said. "I'm taking you to meet the A/V club people today. You said you wanted to join, right?"

"Oh. Well, yeah." Dave said. He honestly didn't feel like having more things to do after school; perhaps it was his current state of sleep deprivation that made him think as such; but it would be a good opportunity to meet more people. More people meant more social links and more Personas to use in the computer world so he wouldn't get his ass kicked. 

More friends. The things that Igor had alluded to made Dave resistant to the idea of making more friends. Who wasn't going to make it to the end of the computer mystery? Would establishing friendships just put those Dave knew into mortal danger?

Dave affirmed himself that he wasn't going to let that happen. John was his best friend, Rose was his sister, and Jade... There was too much to lose for him to sit passive while Igor's prophetic allegory threatened at the doom of those he cared about. It seemed that Igor meant that some would make it out alive; Dave could only hope that he could make the number of survivors larger.

It was too much of a depressing topic to think about and Dave wasn't about to let some bullshit from a long-nosed fortune teller ruin his school year. After a yawn, Dave motioned to John that he was ready to go.

"Alright then. Come on, or else we'll be late." John urged. Dave yawned and followed. "Where are Harley and Lalonde?"

"They left before us." John replied. "Rose left in a hurry."

"Yeah, no shit." Dave replied. "Her Shadow was right, she gets pissed when something doesn't go like she wants it to."

"What are you talking about?" John asked, looking at Dave with a confused look on his face as he opened the dorm door and began walking down their route to class.

"Oh my god, please don't tell me you're that dense, Egbert." Dave replied, shaking his head.

"Dense?" 

"Yes, dense. Thick headed. Come on, you watch all those shitty romance movies. You know the part when the dweeb gets the girl of his dreams but then realizes his childhood friend liked him from the start and had to suck it up?"

"Are you implying that Rose..." John said, stopping for a moment.

"I'm telling." Dave said. "And personally I think she needs to get over it and let you do what you want. I'm just letting you know, she might have a bit of vendetta against Vriska for a while."

John sighed. "I finally get a girl to pay me half a mind and then it goes sour with someone else."

"Yep. Pretty shitty." Dave said, continuing on their way to class.

"Thanks for the helpful advice!" John called out as he followed. Dave gave him a thumbs up without turning around.

__________

Rose kept her head down at lunch, having declined any food. Her appetite just wasn't there. Jade looked at her with genuine worry while they waited for Jane and Roxy to return from the lunch line.

Roxy sat next to her with her tray of food and patted her back. "Doing okay there?" she asked. Rose sighed in response. She hated being this childish towards something, but she couldn't help it. She told herself that she wasn't going to act like a victim of the widely-used excuse of the 'friendzone', yet here she was.

Jade leaned over and whispered into Roxy's ear, letting her know what the issue was.

"Aw, hun." Roxy said, pushing her tray a bit away from her and turning to Rose. "Now listen, it ain't you, she just kinda got there first. But you know how all this goes, especially with chicks like Serket."

Rose lifted her head from her crossed arms, tilting her head at Roxy. She needed to hear some words of reassurance, no matter how embarrassing her current state was.

"Ya know, they'll be mega happy and stuff but then it'll be over in a few weeks." Roxy said, patting Rose's back. "They're not even dating yet, right? So no definites or anything. Chin up! Besides, he's happy. That's a good thing. Be happy for him at least."

Rose sighed, smiling ever so slightly. It was enough of a smile to make Jade feel better.

Jane joined the group a few minutes later. "What did I miss, Rolal?" she asked, sitting aside Jade.

"Nothin' important, really." Roxy affirmed. "Just some sisterly reassurance." 

Jane nodded with a smile, being smart enough to figure out what was going on. "Well, that's what we're here for. Don't be afraid to come to us if you need someone to talk to!"

Jade nodded. "Same here. But you knew that already." she said with a smile. "What else are best friends for?"

Rose sat up, feeling much better. "Yes... Yes, alright. I apologize. I'll endeavor to handle this better."

"There ya go!" Roxy exclaimed. "Step one is sayin' it, but step one is good enough for now."

Rose's smile widened. It would be good for her to look on the bright side of things. 

__________

After the last bell rang, John took Dave to the science building where both the computer lab and the A/V club room were located. Upon entering, they were greeted by a few others who were sitting around doing nothing, save for one boy who was tapping away at a keyboard. Dave also noticed Roxy sitting on a bean bag with a laptop situated on her lap. "Roxy?" Dave said.

"Surprised?" Roxy said with a giggle. 

"Roxy and Sollux are our best programmers." John clarified. "We're technically an A/V club that deals with anything the school needs; a presentation for an assembly, a playlist for a dance, or sound setup for a play. But off the record, we get to mess with programming languages and stuff all the time."

The boy at the computer turned around to face Dave and John. He wore some outlandish shades with different colored lens; one red, one blue. Dave could appreciate the irony of wearing 3-D shades when there wasn't even anything 3-D to look at; it was something that he would have to consider at some point to keep his irony level topped off.

The student spoke to Dave, his voice accented with a prominent lisp. "Hey, sup. Sollux Captor." 

Dave tried not to smirk at the lisp. "Hey. Dave Strider." he said, shaking Sollux's hand. 

"You're the one John talked about then. Hope you can handle all the audio better than most of the people here." Sollux replied, glaring at one of the other students.

John scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, we've had some bad luck with running music for stuff in the past. So you being here is kinda a big bonus. You have more experience with this stuff than anyone combined. Maybe with you running the show, the school dances and stuff won't be complete snooze-fests."

Dave smirked and cracked his fingers. "We'll see if anyone can handle my sick fires, then. I'm in."

"Cool." Sollux said, wheeling back around to attend to the code he was writing. Dave knew little about programming; the minute knowledge he had came from John's attempts at coding over the last few years, and it was widely known that John was an excessively poor programmer, much to his annoyance. Whatever Sollux was working on was completely indecipherable to Dave's eyes.

"Sweet!" John exclaimed. "Okay, let me introduce you to the others then. You know Sollux and Roxy. Karkat's usually here but he decided not to come today. Then there's Mark, Greg, and Diane."

Dave waved to the last three that John mentioned. They looked like somewhat irrelevant people in the grand scheme of things, and Dave doubted he would be spending much time with them at all for some reason. A cool dude such as himself could only accept a select few into his exclusive social circle, especially when their friendships meant awesome Personas would come to be. Hopelessly generic folk such as Mark, Greg, and Diane just wouldn't cut it.

Dave took a seat next to a computer and examined the library of music that was sectioned off for events. "Oh, hell no." he stated as he looked through the radio favorites of the day. "Dude, really? Who comes up with these lists?"

"The administration basically tells us what we can and can't play." John said. "You know how it is with school authorities and censorship. We basically have to get whatever's popular."

"That's because they don't know what kinda shit I can crank out." Dave replied. "Give me a week. Me and Harley collabed on some stuff and I have hours of other sick beats I've made. They'll never know what hit their ears."

John smiled and shook his head. "Alright, I believe you. Dave, you're in charge of the playlists for whatever they ask us to play music for."

Dave nodded in response. Another outlet for his talents had been opened and despite what he might have expressed with his cool exterior, he couldn't be more excited.

After about an hour messing with the meager sound program that was on the school computer, Dave found himself sorely missing the badass setup he had on his laptop, and he longed to mess around with his tables. 

"John, ready to go back?" Dave called out, turning in his chair. John was nowhere to be found; Dave then remembered that John had already left thirty minutes ago. The only people still in the room were himself and Sollux.

"He left already." Sollux said, repeating what Dave had already thought to himself. 

"Oh, shit. I forgot." Dave explained, standing from his chair. "Well, I'm gonna head out. Good to meet you." 

Sollux turned in his chair and nodded. "Yeah, you too. I'll see you when the club meets again." he said, offering his hand out to Dave. 

Dave shook his hand again and nodded back at him. "Got it. Later, then."

Exiting the room, Dave found himself stopped by the now-familiar feeling of the announcement of a new social link being established. This time, it was a distinct male voice that spoke to him; or perhaps two male voices. Dave couldn't tell if it was that or a single voice with an echo.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana."

Dave was able to visualize a tarot card marked with the roman numeral 'I', decorated with two hands holding a flame and a pair of eyes looking over the flame itself. The card faded from view shortly after.

__________

Upon returning to the dorm, Dave found Jade sitting on the sofa watching TV. Squiddles was playing; Dave wasn't sure if she was watching a show intended for young children ironically or because she sincerely enjoyed it.

Truthfully, Dave felt comfortable when talking to Jade, and he really needed someone to vent to about the things that Igor had told him. The words muttered by the Velvet Room's proprietor had been eating away at him since he woke up, and it was to the point that it was the only thing on Dave's mind. He couldn't decide how to feel about it, and a second opinion on it would help him understand how to feel about it.

"Hey, Har?" Dave called, his hands in his pockets. 

"Oh, hi Dave!" Jade answered, turning her head and waving. "Need something?"

"Yeah, actually. Can we talk for a bit?" he asked, avoiding looking directly into Jade's eyes. "It's kinda important."

Jade's eyes lit up. "Of course we can! Just give me a sec!" she exclaimed happily, running over to slip on her shoes and to grab her favorite jacket; a black zipper-hoodie with a white symbol that resembled a spiral galaxy decorating the back and the left side of the front. Once she was ready, she accompanied Dave out of the dorm.

"What's this about, Dave?" Jade asked, placing her hands in her jacket pockets as they walked down the sidewalk.

Dave took a deep breath. "Alright. First thing; you can't tell anyone I'm freaking out about this. My image as a completely cool badass would be FUBAR."

"Umm... okay?" Jade murmured. "What's the matter?"

"The dreams are happening again." Dave admitted with a sigh.

"The ones in the Velvet Room with the long-nose guy?"

"Igor, yeah. But they're not dreams, Jade. I'm pretty much convinced that what Igor says is right. It's not a dream but it's not reality either. He's been right about everything so far, but..."

Jade stopped walking and turned her head to Dave, catching him on the shoulder to turn him towards her. "But what?"

"He said something last time. He said something like 'how many of your friends are going to make it to the end of your journey?' and it just really got to me. I think he's saying that someone's going to die and they're going to be someone I'm friends with." 

Jade was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond to the grim revelation. "Well... it's dangerous in there, so... maybe he's just warning us about it. To let us know to be careful?"

Dave shook his head. "This dude spouts some real prophetic shit. He's never been wrong. He's had other guests in that room too, so I have no fucking clue how long he's been doing this fortune telling thing. If he says something is going to happen, it's going to happen."

"Well... He didn't say how many?"

"No. Just that he wondered how many would make it." 

"Oh, Dave..." Jade sighed, looking down at the ground. "This is really bothering you, isn't it?"

Dave placed a hand on his forehead out of frustration. "If anyone wonders why I never want to take the lead of something, this is why. I can't handle this shit. I don't need to be the main character in some game that some godly asshole is playing with us, or whatever this computer world bullshit is. I wish Igor would just tell me what the fuck is going on, but he says he can't."

"Sometimes the person who thinks he'd be the worst leader ends up being just the person everyone needs, Dave." Jade said, crossing her arms behind her back. "You're really selling yourself short here. If anything happens to us, it won't be your fault."

"Yes it will!" Dave shouted, a little louder than he had intended. Seeing Jade's widened eyes, he calmed down. "Yes it will. I'm the one who gets these super-special powers that somehow makes me stronger than everyone else, so naturally I have to be the one who leads the charge into the creepy, unknown computer world filled with strange things that want to smear the walls with us. What am I supposed to do if one of you gets hurt? We have no clue what will happen."

"You're right, we don't. But if Gamzee's really trying to hurt people by forcing them in there, it's a risk we're willing to take." Jade said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If we don't, who will, right? You're not alone either. We're here to help. You're not the only one who can stop anyone from getting hurt. And people care about you too."

Dave rubbed his temples. "What should I do then?"

"Why should you change anything?" Jade asked. "I think you're doing fine with what you're doing right now. Keep making friends, Dave. Having friends is great! And it's even better if it means you get more Personas from it. If you do that and keep getting more powerful, then you'll be better at protecting everyone. If you do that, we'll be fine."

Dave sighed and leaned against a street light for a moment, taking in all that Jade had said. "Alright, Har." he said, finally. "You've convinced me. I think I'll sleep easy tonight too. Provided that Igor doesn't drag me into the room again."

"It sounds like he's just doing his job." Jade pointed out. "Don't get too mad at him. I'm sure he's helping as much as he can."

"Yeah, I guess." Dave muttered. "Man, it's weird how this whole Persona business has made pretty much anything that comes out of my mouth believable."

"We wouldn't have all been together in this situation if I didn't believe you anyway, silly." Jade replied with a smile. "That's what friends are for."

"You're right." Dave affirmed, a genuine smile creeping onto his face. "Thanks, Ha- Um, Jade."

Jade smiled and nodded. "Of course!" 

Dave looked around. "I guess we better get back inside before everyone starts wondering where we went."

"Eh, we're not too far, but I guess you're right. It's starting to get cold." Jade said, walking back with Dave to the dorm.

"Good. Cold weather is the shit." 

They reached the door, but Dave stopped Jade as she reached the door handle. 

"Seriously, thanks for listening to me. I was serious about not telling anyone about this, alright?"

"My lips are sealed. Your secret is safe with me, Mr. Cool Guy!" Jade replied with a sincere smile. 

Satisfied with her answer, Dave held the door open for Jade and retired to his room for the night for some much-needed sleep.


	13. Nick Cage Would Be Proud

Dave was woken up by his alarm clock a few days later. Groggily, he rolled over onto his other side and checked the time. 9 AM, which is what his alarm clock was set to on weekends so he could sleep in. Dave dragged himself out of bed and outfitted himself in his favorite shirt, a red shirt with a record on the front, as well as a pair of simple jeans.

As he was about to step out to grab some breakfast, Dave noticed that he forgot to check his calendar. Sunday, September 1st. Tomorrow would be Labor Day and therefore the 'block party' of sorts that was held for the students would be on that day. What caught Dave's eyes most, however, was the small note scribbled in red ink on the present day, which read 'track tryouts 2 pm or equius might kill you'.

"Goddammit." Dave muttered. Why did he even agree to go in the first place?

Oh yeah. 'Or Equius might kill you.' Dave could still feel the freakishly STRONG grip that was exerted on his poor hand during that handshake. 

It wasn't like Equius had specifically wanted him to make the team; he just wanted him to try out, and that was exactly what Dave was going to do. Try out, make an ass of himself, and still get credit for trying. That would hopefully get Equius off his back.

Dave headed downstairs, where he came upon a half-asleep John as well as Dirk and Jake, who were both munching on sandwiches.

John's eyes fluttered open as Dave poked him. "Mmm... What?"

"Stayed up too late texting the lady companion, hm?" Dave asked.

"Shut up." John muttered as he turned over away from Dave.

"Any news on Gamzee, though?" Dave inquired, figuring he should ask before John fell asleep again.

John shook his head. "Nothing, and she's pretty pissed about it. She's been tearing her hair out trying not to mention it to anybody."

"Well, tell her to keep it up." Dave replied. "We need to keep this shit under a theoretical lid."

"Yeah, I know." John uttered with a sigh. "Still wish we could just tell everybody, but I guess that'd be bad. The more people that get in there, the more people we have to save, and they'd all be in danger if we didn't get there fast enough."

Dave nodded. "Exactly. So let's hope Gamzee grabs someone who has a strong mind."

"Amen to that." John agreed, closing his eyes again. Dave decided to let him sleep.

"Where are the females at?" Dave asked Dirk and Jake as he approached the kitchen counter.

"I believe they went meander off somewhere else. They were already gone by the time we woke up." Jake replied, tossing away the paper towel that served as the plate for his sandwich.

"Jane didn't say what they were doing, so I guess they're just hanging out." Dirk added. "Roxy's probably dragging them all over for who knows what."

Dave nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so. Well... I'm gonna head out. Equius got me to try out for track, and I've gotta be there in a few hours. Might as well find the place first."

Dirk pulled out his phone, opened up an image, and placed the phone on the desk. "Here, look. I've got a map. The stadium's over here." he said, pointing out the stadium. "That's your place."

"Alright." Dave affirmed. "See you guys later then."

__________

Dave sat himself in the bleachers, panting and feeling a little faint from the heat. He was once again reminded of why he hated most sports. At least he was sure that he accomplished his goal, however; there was no chance that he'd be making the track team at this point.

A short girl wearing a blue hat resembling a cat approached Dave with a bottle of water and a wet towel, which she placed on his forehead. "You gotta be care-furl. Getting too hot could end up getting you hurt, you know!"

"Yeah... I was kinda guilt tripped to be here, this isn't my sort of thing." Dave answered, taking a large swig of water. "Thanks, uh..."

"Nepeta." the girl replied, taking the towel off his forehead. "I'm the manager for the track team. Equius is like a big brother to me, so we like to do things together! I'm a little too short to actually go running though, so manager is fine."

"Right on. Good to meet ya, Nep. Dave Strider." he replied, placing the water aside.

Nepeta giggled. "Right back at ya! Sorry Equius made you come out here. He's a little abrasive sometimes."

Dave nodded, holding up his hand. "You're telling me. I think he re-arranged the bones in my hand a few days ago."

"That sounds just like him! He's purretty strong. Sometimes he doesn't even realize it!" Nepeta agreed. "But even so, I still gotta take care of him! He'd be lost without me."

"A little thing like you keeping that big guy in check?" Dave asked, finding her occasional cat puns a little odd.

"Hey!" Nepeta said with a slight growl, before realizing that Dave was joking. "Well, yeah. He's a big softie once you get to know him!"

"I'll take your word for it." Dave said, watching as Equius flung a javelin like a missile as an example to the others. 

"You're new, aren't you?" Nepeta asked. "I don't think I've efur seen you around."

"Me and my sis moved here before the school year started." Dave responded. "You might know her. Rose?"

"Oh yeah!" Nepeta confirmed with a smile. "Sure, I know her. She's really quiet."

"That's because you didn't talk to her." Dave clarified, smirking. "No, she can talk your ear off if you're not careful. Your ear will need an extended vacation. Needs to take its' mind off a few things, get to know itself. That kinda thing."

Nepeta tilted her head. "You're weird! But it's funny."

Dave rolled his eyes. He got that line often. 

"Anyways, I better get back to the team. I hope you at least come see them compete sometime!" Nepeta said, taking the towel.

"Yeah, sure." Dave said. Going to sports events then ironically hanging around elsewhere in the stadium was one of his favorite activities. 

Nepeta smiled. "Gotcha! Take care, okay?" she shouted as she ran back to the team, waving at Dave before reaching the field.

A voice in his head hit him once more, speaking in a feminine tone this time. Dave noted that each voice that accompanied a new social link of his matched the gender of the linked person. Linkee. Whatever.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Lovers Arcana."

The card that appeared was marked with the roman numeral VI. The card featured a tree that divided two people away from each other, with a large heart situated on top of the tree. The card dissipated soon after it appeared, and Dave was returned to his normal state of cognition.

Dave nodded and waved back. Once she was back to work, Dave grabbed his things and returned to the dorm.

__________

Dave was greeted by Rose and Roxy when he entered the dorm again.

"Damn. You look shit." Roxy observed, a small hiccup accompanying her statement.

"Right back at you." Dave replied, plopping himself down on a recliner.

"Shit must look pretty good then." Roxy retorted with a wink. Dave had met more than a few drunks while living in Texas, and Roxy was by far his favorite drunk. She wasn't violent or a massive asshole, she was just funny.

Dave gave Roxy a fistbump then looked at Rose. "What's up, sibling?"

"You could just use my name, you know." Rose quipped as she wrote down who-knows-what in a leather-backed journal.

"Nah, too conventional." Dave said, popping open a bottle of apple juice that he had bought from the vending machine outside the dorm. After a long day of unnecessary physical exertion, a bottle of AJ was mandatory to restoring the Strider equilibrium.

"Well, 'sibling', I'm merely entertaining myself with a hint of creative writing. And before you ask, no, you can't see it." Rose retorted. Dave knew she meant nothing by the rather harsh tone. She just sounded like that when she was entrenched in something.

"You sure you're not a mind reader or something?" 

"Last I checked, no." 

"Kay, good. Cause I'm thinking of all kinds of awful things to say about you to your closest friends. Your social circle is mine to destroy. And you'll never know."

Dave was hit in the face by a balled up newspaper page. After tossing it back and having it deflected away by Rose's idle hand, Dave gave up on his pointless crusade of teasing.

"Killjoy. Anyway, where are the others?" Dave asked, as he did pretty much any time someone wasn't in the dorm.

"Jade's in her room. John's with Serket somewhere. Jake's getting groceries. Dirk and Jane are making out somewhere according to Roxy." Rose answered, not looking up from her book. The venomous tone in her voice that came with the name 'Serket' gave Dave a better guess about what she was writing about.

"Last couple I woulda expected, too!" Roxy stated. "Missed my chance, ya know."

"Why wouldn't you expect them? I'm not a master of matchmaking or anything but they seem alright enough with each other." Dave asked.

"Dirk prefers men. Honestly Dave, if you'd paid as much attention as you've paid for apple juice, you'd pick up on a lot of interesting facts about the rest of us. My only guess is that he's dating Jane because he would feel bad turning her down, or he's questioning his choice in romance. Honestly, you could wonder what he likes for hours, but in the end you can't label what thoughts carry through Dirk's head and Dirk's head alone." 

"Hey. Don't even hate." Dave retorted. "AJ is the shit and I'll take that over knowledge of what people would be happy finding when they stick their hand down someone's pants."

Rose finally cracked a smile and shook her head. "Alright, enough about that. It's impolite to judge, yes? They're happy." she admitted. Dave noted the slight hypocrisy in that statement due to the Vriska situation, but he valued his life and decided not to mention anything. He didn't know what Dirk's orientation was up to this point and honestly he didn't care, but he knew it was the kind of topic that had the potential to be pointlessly argued over for hours.

Dave remembered that he was going to DJ for the labor day gathering the next day, and figured that it was best to head to sleep while the night was relatively young. He waved good night to Roxy and Rose, then made his way up to his room.

__________

Although he had to leave out some of his more 'sophisticated' works that were way too complicated to be appreciated by the normal folk, Dave's DJ work was a success with both the students and the administration; the former found it good to dance to, and the latter appreciated the lack of lyrics and therefore the lack of profanity.

After setting his playlist to autoplay so that he wouldn't have to man the turntables and make some slick scratches, Dave entered the realm of the common folk to mingle with his friends.

The campus' central park that was located in the middle of the school's most important buildings was relatively packed with students either dancing near Dave's station or divided into separate pockets of friends that were scattered across the park. 

Perhaps Dave would join the main crowd and do a bit of dancing later. He could dance, after all, and he made sure that he did it with at least one hand in pocket at all times, because it made him look at least twice as badass.

Dave ran into Jade and Rose first, finding them sitting on a bench and talking the night away. Jake and Roxy were also nearby, sampling the burgers that the home ec club had whipped up.

"Dave!" Jade exclaimed, getting up from her seat. "That sounded great! You should really do this more often."

"Was there any doubt?" Dave asked smugly, shrugging. He was admittedly quite proud of himself; he would never have been able to entertain a crowd like this back home.

Home? Hell, this was his home now. It sure kicked Texas' ass.

"No, of course not!" Jade corrected, giving Dave a tight hug. "Ummm... Would you like to go dance with everyone?"

"Seriously? Damn, Har, I didn't think you'd be the type."

"I can dance!" Jade exclaimed, sticking her tongue out. "It's fun."

Dave put a hand to his chin. "I've got a better idea. Follow me for a sec."

Taking hold of her wrist, Dave maneuvered himself and Jade through the bustling crowds back to his DJ station.

"Alright, take the left side of the turntable, I'll get the right." Dave said, pointing to the record that was currently motionless while the autoplay was on.

"But... I'm not exactly sure how to do this." Jade responded, looking at Dave a little worriedly. 

"Doing one at a time is easy. Just watch me and I'll give you cues."

__________

Vriska tugged John out of the crowd of dancers, laughing. "Jeez, John, you dance like a dork." she teased. "A cute dork." she added after she saw the look on his face.

"Well, I don't really get much of a chance." John replied, sticking his tongue out. "My number of friends pretty much doubled this year alone." 

"Same here, kinda!" Vriska said, taking John to a relatively quiet area with fewer people around so they could talk. "I'm having a lot of fun."

"Me too, hehe." John muttered, rubbing the back of his neck a little nervously. "Can't believe I don't do this more often."

"Well, maybe you'll have more of a chance now." Vriska offered with a grin. "After all, you've got me!"

John blushed slightly, trying not to show it. Thankfully it was rather dark, but his inability to find any words didn't help disguise his flustered state.

_________

Dave cut the current song short. "Jade, hang on."

Jade removed herself from the turntable. In little over 5 minutes Jade had a basic grasp on the technique of scratching and was actually having a lot of fun. Why Dave wanted to stop all of a sudden was beyond her.

Dave pulled a nearby microphone closer to him and spoke. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen of Sassacre, it's time to top the night off with a slow dance, so grab a partner, willing or otherwise, and put your awkward dancing skills to the test!"

Absconding from his turntable and the microphone, Dave turned to his laptop and quickly scrolled to a song that he had saved should a very specific situation arise during the night; "How Do I Live Without You" by a Ms. Yearwood, as heard in the movie Con Air.

"Don't fuck this up, Egbert." Dave muttered as he clicked play.

__________

John's eyes lit up as he heard the first few notes, and as memories of bunnies and touching family reunions flooded his brain, he fought to hold back tears.

Vriska's eyebrow rose. "John, you alright?"

"Oh, yeah!" John responded, standing and offering his hand to her. "Umm... May I have this dance?"

Vriska smiled. "Oh, mister gentleman! Of course you may." she affirmed as she took his hand and stood up with him. John awkwardly placed one hand on Vriska's hip and took one of her hands in his other hand, while she placed her free hand on his shoulder.

The first steps seemed to drag on forever as John worried about every detail of his movements but soon he got accustomed to the rhythm of the song; he had heard it so many times before, after all.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. For a moment he was almost glad that for the series of events that allowed them to rescue her in the first place The computer world allowed him to play the hero, and allowed him to actually get in the good graces of the girl that he had liked from afar for so long. It was a little selfish, but he couldn't help it.

Vriska smiled as John slowly took the lead once he got more comfortable with the dance. It was nice to feel accepted, even welcome with someone. John didn't care what she had done in the past. Perhaps it was because he wasn't a victim of it, but judge her he didn't. Perhaps a relationship with John would be a good chance to start over.

"Speaking of good chances..." Vriska muttered.

John titled his head. "Wha-?" he asked, but was cut off by Vriska's lips pressing against his.

His mind went haywire. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. All he could do was force himself to retain his hold on Vriska's hip and try not to faint. Vriska knew what she was doing; she had obviously kissed someone before, unlike poor kiss-virgin John.

Well, kiss-virgin till now.

__________

Rose felt a small pain akin to a light migraine for a second. She wasn't sure what caused it.  
__________

Dave gave Jade a celebratory fistbump. "Let's let those two duke it out in their tongue battle. We can get back to this later."

Jade shook her head with a smile and followed Dave off the small stage that housed his turntables and other equipment.

"That was a very sweet thing to do, you know." Jade said with a smile. "You're a good friend."

"Yeah, I know." Dave replied with a grin. He was on a roll today. "He'll owe me of course."

"What, you think you'll need his help to kiss a pretty girl?" Jade asked, winking. 

"Pfft, no. I can handle that myself. I mean I can get him to make me a sandwich or something when I don't feel like it."

"You can handle it yourself, huh?" Jade laughed, drawing a little closer as her heart pounded.

"Are you doubting the charm of the Strider?" Dave asked, slowly realizing what she was getting at. "I told you before, it is unwise to doubt the Strider."

Jade grinned, her face red. "So I've learned." she muttered, drawing closer still.

Their lips met silently, isolating them in a world of their own if only for a moment.

After what seemed like forever, Jade pulled away with an even redder face than before. "I, umm..."

Dave scratched the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. If he weren't wearing his shades, one could see his eyes widened in surprise and in shock that he did, indeed, just do that.

"I... better go." Jade muttered, turning and speeding away before Dave had a chance to stop her.

"Jade! Shit." Dave called, groaning when he realized she had already gotten past earshot. Faaaantastic.

__________

The party ended at 11 PM and the administration had the event shut down so that the student body could get to bed in preparation for the next day. Dave entered and was surprised to be assaulted with a hug from John.

"You magnificent son of a bitch." John muttered, practically squeezing the life out of Dave.

"Ease off, dude!" Dave griped, pushing John off.

"Sorry, sorry, I just can't thank you enough! This was the best night ever!" John exclaimed. "What's the matter with you?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Proud of you, though. Saw the whole thing from my perch." Dave responded, pounding John's fist with his own. "Pretty soon you'll have to hear us yelling at you two to keep it down."

John rolled his eyes, blushing. 

"Anyway, I better get to bed before-"

Dave was interrupted by Jade entering the dorm. She looked him in the eye for a moment, then quickly turned her head away and headed up the stairs.

"What's her deal?" John asked.

"We, uh... Celebrated our victory in getting you and Vriska to tongue-wrestle by... you know... emulating... the... act."

"You kissed Jade?" John exclaimed, loud enough for a nearby Rose to hear. Rose merely shook her head. Everyone's love lives seemed to be working out save for her own.

"Yeah, I did, and now she won't talk to me. I tried texting her and calling her before they shut the event down but she wouldn't answer. I'm not sure if she's pissed off at me or something. I can't fucking read women, John."

Rose was about to say something when yet another interruption burst through the dorm door in the form of Jane, who seemed to be hiding the obvious fact that she had been sobbing a few moments before. Before anyone could ask, Jane retreated upstairs.

Roxy followed Jane into the dorm, running to the freezer and pulling out a tub of ice cream and two spoons from the utensil drawer. "Everyone out of the way! Momma Lalonde's got a heart to mend!"

"What happened?" John asked.

"She and Dirk broke up. Don't talk about it." Roxy stated simply before chasing after Jane. 

Dave rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fuck, it's like everyone chose this date specifically for all kinds of shit to go down."

Dirk silently came through the dorm door, looked at the three of them gathered in the living room, and made his way to his own room. That left only Jake, and Dave assumed that he had already returned before the rest of them.

With a groan, Dave plopped down onto the sofa. "Well, damn."

"Just talk to her about it." John advised.

Rose nodded. "I agree with John. She appears to be suffering from some inner doubts. Either she's worried that you might not feel the same, or she's worried that the kiss might have ruined your friendship for a chance of a relationship that might not even happen."

"Why the hell would she think that?" Dave asked irritably. "I didn't pull away or anything. She's like one of the only sane people I know. Why wouldn't I feel the same?"

"That's just something you'll have to tell her." Rose answered. "But later. Leave her be for now."

"Yes ma'am." Dave muttered sarcastically. 

John's phone began ringing to the tune of the Ghostbusters theme. He took the device out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello? Yeah, it's me. What? You don't mean..."

Dave turned his head, wondering what was going on. 

"Y-yeah, I'll give the phone to him. Hang on." John said, handing the phone to Dave.

"Hello?" Dave asked as he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Dave, it's Vriska. Terezi's in a coma, I can't wake her." 

"Oh, shit." Dave exclaimed, sitting up on the sofa. "Do you think...?" 

"It's the same thing that happened to me, right? What else could it be?"

"Fuck." Dave said. "We'll have to cut class tomorrow then, won't we?"

"Yes, we're going to have to fucking cut class!" Vriska exclaimed angrily. "Sorry, I'm just worried... Look, I was in there for almost a day, I think. She didn't really start pointing out the heavy shit to me until you guys got there, as if she wanted me to put on a show or something. But I'm not waiting longer than I have to! I'm coming over first thing tomorrow morning. We'd be useless if we went in tired like this. I think Terezi's shadow might do the same thing; wait until we're there to start spewing the real dark stuff, but I'm not willing to wait longer than it takes me to sleep."

"I agree." Dave responded. 

"Good. Be ready, I'm going to be there as early as I can be. Bring everyone you can."

"Got it." Dave confirmed, handing the phone back to John. John consoled Vriska, told her not to worry, and assured her that they would get there in time before hanging up.

Rose looked at them, puzzled. 

"Vriska's friend Terezi is in the computer. We're going in tomorrow morning. We're going to have to cut class and catch up later." Dave said.

Rose sighed. "Very well then. Are all 8 of us going in then?"

"If only four of us can go in at a time, I doubt it'd be a good idea to bring Jane or Jade right now. Probably not Dirk either." John pointed out. "We need to be focused."

"Focused." Rose muttered, closing her book. 

"Then we can go in with Roxy, Jake, and Vriska. That makes six. If someone gets hurt then they can get out of there and have the other go in after us." Dave stated.

"Noted." Rose said, standing. "We'd best get some sleep, then."

"I wish we could go in now." John sighed.

"We'd fight like shit. I'm fucking exhausted." Dave replied. "Just try to get some sleep. She'll be alright."

John nodded solemnly and headed up to his room, as did Rose. Dave stayed on the ground floor to pop an aspirin before heading to bed. Everything, it seemed, decided to spring up all of a sudden and he'd have to deal with it on his own time. 

Still, not everything was too terrible. He was glad to have been able to set his friend up. Once this Terezi business was over, John would be so in.

Dave's inner voice rang, this time in a male voice.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana."

The card that materialized into view showed a man with a sack slung over his shoulder, followed by a dog. It was numbered '0'.

Dave found it a little odd that he didn't have a secured social link with John up until just now. Perhaps they only counted if the relationship was established or developed after he was awakened to the Wild Card, not before. Whatever the cause was, Dave had little time to ponder it. He would need sleep to face the trials of the next day.


	14. Order In The Court

Dave woke in a cold sweat the next morning. For a moment he thought that he had visited the Velvet Room the previous night, but he couldn't remember anything that was said; this was in stark contrast to his normal visits where each cryptic riddle that Igor muttered had become burned into his mind. No, what he had dreamed of was just that; a dream. A nightmare, truly. 

He couldn't show anyone that he was having so much trouble coping with his precarious situation. It was paramount to keeping up his cool exterior, and it would probably demoralize the others to see their unwilling leader having a mental breakdown.

A quick glance to his clock showed him that is was 5 AM. It was probably not the best idea to simply return to bed. He didn't want to dream anymore. 

Dave descended the stairs in his school uniform, in case that Terezi would be rescued in time for school. With the way time passed in the computer world, one could never be sure.

As he suspected, no one was awake yet. Dave pondered making pancakes, but ended up settling for just a cup of coffee instead. 

A soft knock on the door startled him a few minutes later. Who the hell was knocking at 5 in the morning?

A quick peek through the door's peephole answered his question. When Vriska said 'first thing in the morning', she really meant it. Dave opened the door and let her in.

"I know I'm early, but I couldn't sleep." Vriska said, carrying her laptop to the sofa. "I didn't think any of you would be awake either, really. I was prepared to wait outside for a few hours."

"Well, you just joined the 'Couldn't Sleep' club. I've been acting president for a few days." Dave responded, passing her a cup of coffee as well as a bit of cream and sugar in case she wanted any. 

Vriska nodded in thanks. "Are we gonna wake any of the others?" 

"I can go get Egbert and English, I guess. I'm not sure if the three people we're not taking will take kindly to being left out. But we need at least someone going to school today." Dave answered. "We're already a big enough group that we might get some shit for skipping class together. If we all did it at once, administration would probably group us together and take steps against us."

"Yeah, 'went into freaky computer world to save classmate's soul' is a pretty shitty excuse, huh?" 

"Fuckin' shame, too, since it happens so often." Dave mused, sipping his coffee. "Let's let the others sleep a little longer while we stew in our early rising. They'll need their energy."

__________

 

Dave had just placed a note on the fridge explaining that he needed Jade, Jane, and Dirk to skip out on the computer world today to prevent all of them from being punished together when he heard footsteps. John, Rose and Roxy descended the stairs with their laptops.

"Couldn't wake Jake up." John said. "He can go with the others today. Five of us will be enough." 

Dave nodded and opened up his laptop on the coffee table. "We ready, then?"

Roxy nodded and placed her laptop out. "Ready as we'll ever be!" she exclaimed. Dave was surprised by her energetic mood. The specifics of her alcoholism continued to elude him; he was certain that she had plenty to drink the previous night, yet she seemed to not be hungover in the slightest. All the better for their upcoming mission, at least.

Rose was the last to open her laptop. "I'm ready." she confirmed. 

Dave nodded to everyone and typed the code, losing consciousness a moment after.

__________

The group was greeted by the voice that filled Asphodel. "New user registration confirmed. Player limit increased to six. Welcome, Vriska Serket."

Vriska took a step forward from where she had appeared, then reached up to her head. The candy-corn-like horns that had appeared the last time were there once again, and her skin was once again a dull grey tone. "What gives?" she asked no one in particular, running her hands along her horns.

John approached her, studying them. Their texture was bone-like, and the colors were distinctly separated, not blended as gradients. "I don't really get it. If this place is like a game, then maybe this is like a glitch?"

"Whatever it is, it only happens in here." Rose commented. "Did you hear what the voice said? Player limit increased to six. I assume we can take more people into each world now."

"Sounds like it." Dave agreed, nodding. "Five should be good. Let's go."

Roxy jogged over to a new door. "The place looks bigger than the last time I was here."

"Asphodel likely expands itself to create room for more doors." Rose answered. "As more people are brought in to create more worlds, the arcade will grow accordingly. This is all assumption, anyhow."

"Yeah, yeah." Vriska said, standing next to Roxy at the new door. "Let's get Terezi while we still can."

Rose huffed and joined the others in walking through the door.

Dave was last, doing what the others failed to do; reading the label of the door. 

"Terezi Pyrope: Sadistic Courtroom. Great, more crazy." he muttered as he stepped through.

__________

True to the door's label, Dave found himself in a dimly-lit court-house hall. By squinting his eyes, he could tell that the walls were accenuated with random smears of blood.

"Oh, that's lovely." Vriska commented, taking the lead. The others materialized their weapons, including Roxy who wielded a scoped, fully-automatic assault rifle. Dave had already found Jade's high-tech hunting rifle to be over the top; this was just ridiculous.

Vriska noticed what the others did and clenched her fist. After a small flash, she found a few dice in her hand. They seemed to be made of a high-quality blue gemstone material, and appeared to be of the D8 variety.

Dave's eyebrow quirked. "Well, that's a load of shit. Everyone gets a hammer or a fucking gun, but you end up with some shitty dice."

"Hey, these aren't shitty at all. I bet they'll be pretty useful, thank you very much!" Vriska retorted, smiling at her dice.

"If you say so. I guess that's what the Personas are for anyway." Dave answered, walking further down the hall.

Soft whispers could be heard from every direction, resembling the sound of a group of people trying to gossip in secret. The only sounds breaking the constant whispers were the words of the Persona-users or the occasional slamming of a gavel from deep within the courthouse. As they walked further, the whispers grew only louder. 

Dave kicked open a door to find a large empty room. At the opposite side of the room was an ornate door, no doubt the one that lead to the main courtroom and Terezi's location. Blood splatters dotted the floor just as they decorated the walls.

"It's a little too quiet, isn't it?" John asked as he followed everyone into the room.

"Dammit, Egbert, that's right up there with 'what could possibly go wrong?' and 'it's probably nothing'." Dave muttered. As he finished his sentence, large metal bars appeared in front of both the entrance and the exit of the room, effectively locking the group inside.

Black puddles began forming in the far corners of the room, with various shadows taking form and slowly creeping towards the group. They resembled men in prison outfits, complete with a large of ball and chain on each one's ankle.

Instinctively, Dave called out to the Arcana that he held in his heart, settling on the Lovers. He felt that he had substantially more control over his power now, but still wouldn't be able to tell what Persona would come forth until he summoned it.

"Tam Lin!" he shouted, bringing forth the Lovers Card and slicing through it with his katana. Materializing into view was a blonde man clad in teal armor and wielding a deadly-looking spear. It was by far the most 'human' Persona that Dave had called as of yet, 

The others called forth their Personas as well, including Roxy's previously-unseen Artemis. Artemis had the appearance of a huntress, clad in sleek armor and sporting long, shining purple hair. Her most striking feature was her lack of a right hand; instead, her right arm ended in a metallic crossbow, likely able to be used not only as a ranged weapon, but as a deadly bludgeon as well. 

The shadows continued their slow approach, being joined by more of their brethren as they got closer. 

Vriska was the first to act, tossing a handful of her dice at an approaching shadow. The small dice exploded into a burst of electricity, knocking the shadow away. Immediately after the throw, another set of dice materialized in Vriska's hand to replace her used set. Smirking, Vriska silently commanded Arachne to spray a small circle of webbing on the ground around her, helping to keep the shadows at bay while she peppered them with her dice. Each of her dice-throws seemed to have a random effect; some produced a fiery explosion, while others created a shower of icicles that rained on enemies.

Roxy, unable to get a good vantage point in the empty room, decided to make one herself. Artemis fired an arrow that struck the ground at Roxy's feet, creating an ice pillar that shot up and carried Roxy with it. With a height advantage, Roxy began picking enemies off with her rifle. 

Dave was impressed by his new Persona's strong physical prowess, and found himself fighting side-by-side with Tam Lin in the middle of the fray. The shadows themselves weren't dangerous on their own; their numbers made them a threat, and their constant spawning rate didn't help the situation.

Completely unfazed, Rose focused on having Iris sending lightning bolts at any shadow that approached with deadly accuracy. Her curse-tag attack, Mahama, failed to hit with complete accuracy, and only took out a few of the shadows.

Despite their efforts, the shadows kept pressing their advance, forcing the group to back away closer to Roxy's ice pillar.

Vriska kept tossing sets of dice into the crowd, creating multicolored explosions that took at least some of the constant pressure off of the group.

"You've got to be fucking kidding!" Dave shouted as Tam Lin impaled a shadow on his spear, tossing it away with one simple swing. 

"Got any other tricks up your sleeve?" John called as Perseus sent gusts at incoming shadows. 

"Maybe!" Dave shouted, recalling Tam Lin and mustering up his will to use the Fool Arcana next. Perhaps his next Persona would be more effective against large groups.

"Loki!" he called, bringing forth the card of The Fool and shattering it. In Tam Lin's place appeared a purple-skinned, blonde man draped in a long white cloak. Loki stood much taller than Dave, reaching at least 7 feet.

"That works!" Roxy called. "Now get him to do something! Quick!" she added as she picked off the shadows that began chipping at her ice pillar.

Dave turned his head to Loki, who simply nodded and swung his arm out dramatically, his cloak flaring about as he gathered his magical power. Dave continued slicing at incoming shadows, trying to buy Loki time.

A large crack formed in Roxy's ice pillar, causing the entire structure to shatter and causing Roxy to plummet back to the ground into the middle of a crowd of the shadows. Even from the ground she fought back with her rifle and with Artemis, though the shadows clawed at her in her vulnerable state.

Dave's eyes widened as he sensed Loki was finished with his charging. A single word came to mind, which he uttered aloud. 

"Niflheim!"

A single snapping sound rang in the room before all fell to silence. Ice began to form on the walls, slowly spreading to the ceiling and the floor. 

Everyone's breaths began forming clouds of vapor as the temperature of the room rapidly dropped. The silence was suddenly broken by a large icicle shooting from the ceiling, crushing a group of shadows and disappearing right after. Another icicle shot from a different section of the ceiling and crushed yet another cluster of shadows. Soon enough, the room erupted with icicles springing forth from the ceiling and the floor, aiming at the many shadows in the room but completely avoiding Dave and his group.

The icy atmosphere died down as the last of the icicles disappeared, and the ice faded away from the walls. With the last shadows gone, Loki gave a nod to Dave and faded from view. Dave took a deep breath and then fell to his knees, the usage of Loki's spell taking a tremendous toll on his stamina.

John ran over and caught Dave, helping him up. "That was insane! Are you alright?"

"I feel like I just ran a fucking marathon." Dave responded, panting. "I can't use that again, I think it'd kill me at this point. I just need a break for a bit..."

"We don't have time for that!" Vriska shouted, approaching the exit of the room. The metal bars that had blocked their way faded with the shadow ambush, allowing them passage to the main court room. "You can rest after we save Terezi!"

"He just saved us from that legion of shadows. You could stand to be a bit more grateful." Rose lectured, crossing her arms.

"I am grateful! But I don't have time to talk about it, do I? Hurry up and get in here!" Vriska retorted, having Arachne bash the door in.

Beyond the door was a lavish courtroom, populated by dark humanoid figures that sat in the jury section; more shadows, no doubt. These shadows seemed docile, however. At the defense podium stood who Dave assumed to be Terezi, while another Terezi sat at the judge's podium with gavel in hand. The blue fog surrounding the Judge-Terezi made it clear that she was the shadow. Similarly to Vriska, Terezi seemed to sport horns and grey skin inside the computer, though her horns were less elaborate and resembled small spikes.

"Terezi!" Vriska shouted.

"Ah, excellent! More witnesses to your pitiful, self-destructive mental breakdown!" Shadow Terezi announced with a menacing giggle. "Should I start all over or just start from where we left off before they took care of all the escaped prisoners for me?"

"No!" protested the real Terezi. "Don't do this with Vriska here."

"What, you think she's the only one who doesn't think you're a fucked up piece of work? She knows it too!" Shadow Terezi responded, slamming her gavel. "Terezi can never make up her mind. Terezi's being a sociopath again! Terezi's going to Gamzee's room again even though he makes her feel like a worthless piece of shit!"

"You bitch!" Vriska shouted, aiming a throw of her dice.

John grabbed her arm to stop her. "This isn't something being made up, Vriska... this is Terezi talking to herself. It's the part of herself she repressed. It's just like with you."

"Repressed? Oh please!" Shadow Terezi shouted, once again slamming her gavel. "She tells herself this shit every night! This isn't anything she hasn't heard before."

Vriska couldn't bring herself to say anything, unaware of the torment that Terezi must have been putting herself through.

"You couldn't help it." Shadow Terezi continued, turning back to her normal self. "You never can. You keep swearing off acting like an idiot, telling yourself that you'll go on the straight-and-narrow, but like a junkie looking for a fix, you go right on back and put yourself on the self-destructive path the very next day!"

Terezi hung her head like a young child being lectured. "I know." she muttered.

"You talk about justice and a load of other bullshit. You want to be a big-shot, to put disgusting people in jail where they belong, but you're just as foul as the worst of them! Or should I say 'I'? Because I AM you. I'm the miserable sack of shit that you would see in the mirror every day, if you could even see!" 

"I know!" Terezi shouted at her shadow self. "I know, alright? Everyone has these concrete ideas of what they want to do with their life but I don't! I never denied anything you said! I don't know how to make myself happy. Everything I do just makes me feel awful right after it's done."

Shadow Terezi looked onward, confused.

"Holy shit, is she accepting all that?" Dave asked. "Maybe we came here for nothing."

"Why do you think I stopped seeing Gamzee?" Terezi asked. "Why did I even ask you that, of course you know. I was trying to get away from how he made me feel... Like a piece of meat. You know all of that... because you are-"

Terezi suddenly lurched forward in a manner that seemed like her movements were not her own. She gasped aloud in pain, suddenly lurching backwards like a ragdoll until she was in a standing position. Her eyes began taking on a faint purple glow.

"Terezi! Hang on!" Vriska shouted, running towards the defendant's podium. Before she could make it halfway there, however, she too lost control over her body's movements and fell to the ground, convulsing and writhing in a similar manner to Terezi's lurching. Her eyes too began glowing a faint purple color.

"Oh, hell to the motherfuckin' no." called a familiar voice from behind the group. Dave whirled around, seeing who he indeed expected to see.

Gamzee, holding two flaming juggling clubs, strode casually into the courtroom. "What's good, motherfuckers? Enjoying the show?" he asked with an evilish grin. Akin to Vriska and Terezi, Gamzee also sported horns, though his were slightly curved and much taller than either of theirs. His skin was grey as well, though his face was painted white like a circus clown.

"You son of a bitch!" Vriska managed to cry as she attempted to fight the convulsions. 

"So we were right. It was you." Dave stated. He readied his katana, despite the fact that he was still rather tired from his earlier exertions.

Gamzee laughed. "The fuck are you gonna do? There ain't no violence in the court, bro."

Shadow Terezi banged her gavel. "Excuse you, we're in the middle of a trial here! The last thing I wanted to hear was your voice."

"Just a sec, sis." Gamzee replied, suddenly standing among the shadows in the jury panel. 

"Did he just teleport?" John asked, confused.

"Now, Rezi, what were you gonna say?" Gamzee continued with an evil grin. "What's the magic phrase that starts all the fun shit, huh?"

Terezi's mouth opened, again against her will. It was clear that Gamzee was exerting his control on both her and Vriska. Dave wondered why the same wasn't being done to subjugate himself and the others.

"You're... not..." Terezi muttered, as hard as she tried to stop herself from saying it. "Not... me."

Shadow Terezi stood from her podium. "Well, take what you can get, right?" she mused with a cackle, her dark blue fog turning blood red as she began her confirmation. Gamzee's laughter could be heard as well, though he wasn't anywhere to be see. 

"Goddammit!" Dave exclaimed, summoning Tam Lin. He wouldn't be able to afford another elaborate attack like before.

The judge's podium crumbled and broke apart as Shadow Terezi's size grew, until finally the inky fog dissipated and revealed her true form. Shadow Terezi resembled her original self in face only; she floated from the ground but must have been at seven feet tall. Wrapped around her eyes was a blood-red cloth, and she was draped in a long judge's robe of the same color. In her left hand she held a set of scales of justice, and in her right she held a long, spiked judge's gavel that looked more like a warhammer than an actual gavel.

"I am a Shadow, the true self!" Shadow Terezi announced. "The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice! Prepare yourselves to be judged!"

Vriska finally brought herself to her feet; it seemed that Gamzee was no longer in control of her body. Arachne appeared behind her as soon as she was able to control her arms. "Gamzee, you're going to pay once we're done with this!" she shouted, even if Gamzee was apparently no longer there.

Shadow Terezi swung her gavel-hammer in a wide arc in an intimidating manner, turning her head to Vriska. Her blindfold glowed for a moment. "Your weakness has been judged!" she shouted, lifting her scales. A gust of wind rushed forth and struck Vriska and Arachne, sending them both away into a wall.

Roxy gasped and stood in front of Vriska, readying her gun as Artemis prepared to attack. A spear of ice struck and shattered upon Shadow Terezi, doing no significant damage. The Shadow grunted and turned to Rose, her blindfold glowing once again. Once the glow faded, a bolt of lightning shot through the air and hit Artemis, knocking both her and Roxy to the ground.

Rose looked to Dave. "She possesses the ability to identify our weaknesses at a moment's notice!" she shouted.

"Then let's hope Tam Lin doesn't die from a single lightning bolt." Dave muttered, hoping that he'd be able to stand another rough fight. 

Shadow Terezi turned to John next, reading his weakness and sending a barrage of hailstones his way. At this rate, the fight would be lost in record time.

Dave readied himself and charged Shadow Terezi as she was turned on John. Tam Lin flew in after him and his spear met the shadow's hammer. Dave struck with his sword, ripping the long red robe as Tam Lin held her attention. 

Shadow Terezi's blindfold glowed brightly as she attempted to scan Tam Lin but was unsuccessful in finding a weakness; in exchange for having no elemental attacks, Tam Lin was weak to no element. Shadow Terezi roared in defiance, pushing harder against Tam Lin's spear while Dave continued to harass her from below.

Rose attempted her unreliable Hama spell once more, and it again had no effect. It appeared that while it had the capability to wipe out weaker shadows, it was completely ineffective against stronger shadow forms.

John joined Dave in his harassment while Perseus used his buckler as a bludgeon on Shadow Terezi. Dave felt confident that their swarming tactics would be enough to overwhelm Shadow Terezi.

"Enough!" Shadow Terezi roared defiantly, a blast of energy pushing both John, Dave, and their Persona's a few feet back. Once her immediate space was clear, she lifted her scales and filled the room with a greenish smoke. Dave felt odd as the smoke washed over him, then felt a pain in his chest as he watched Tam Lin fade away in the face of the smoke. He looked around frantically and saw that everyone's Personas dissipated in the smoke.

"Fuck!" Vriska shouted, getting back to her feet after the harsh hit she had taken earlier. Roxy did the same and rushed behind the jury stands for some cover. 

John and Dave leapt away from a gavel strike. "What the hell do we do?" John shouted, scrambling to get away from Shadow Terezi's icicle attacks.

Shadow Terezi cackled. "You can run, but you cannot hide!" she shouted, swinging her gavel wildly at the scrambling kids. In her triumph, she was caught off guard by a fiery explosion that struck her side. 

Vriska tossed another set of dice, which erupted into a small burst of wind that cleared away a small amount of the smoke. While their Personas were unusable, Vriska was the only one capable of utilizing any elemental attacks. Her next dice barrage unleashed a spurt on noxious, purple liquid that coated Shadow Terezi's face, causing her to scream as it sizzled. 

In a sudden moment of inspiration, Vriska tossed a handful of dice at John. John was alarmed at first but when the dice hit him, he was bathed in a brief light that dispelled the green smoke around him. Perseus reappeared behind him, much to John's relief. 

Vriska then lobbed some dice at Roxy, but they erupted into ice instead. Roxy was hardly hurt by the attack since ice was her specialty, but Vriska's desired effect was not achieved. "Guess these things really are a gamble, huh?" she shouted to no one in particular as she continued to lob dice around the room. Some bursts cleared smoke, while others created various explosions that either hurt Shadow Terezi or narrowly missed the friends that Vriska was attempting to avoid hitting. Still, every so few handfuls of dice ended up striking one of the kids in an attempt to heal them.

Rose was next to be cured of the oppressive smoke. "Just a moment!" she shouted, raising her hand to command Iris. Iris raised her lance and radiated the same light that had cured John, sweeping the entire room clean of the smoke. 

Shadow Terezi had freed herself of the corrosive poison that came from Vriska's dice, and the battle of attrition that the Persona users had waged against her was beginning to take its' toll on her. The greatest damage was to her blindfold, which had been almost completely destroyed by the acidic substance. She swung her gavel blindly, striking various parts of the courtroom but not the kids themselves.

Roxy ripped holes in Shadow Terezi's robe with her assault rifle and it was becoming clear that Shadow Terezi had no body beneath it; rather, the robe seemed to be her body. With a cry of pain, Shadow Terezi dropped her scales and gavel and collapsed, fading into black smoke and resuming her form as a complete lookalike of Terezi, wearing a simpler, black judge's robe.

Terezi rose from her place on the floor after she had lost consciousness in the presence of her Shadow and trudged over to her Shadow self. Vriska rushed over to help her up,

"I know you already kinda did, but... You've got to accept her, Terezi." Vriska said. "Officially. And hopefully without any interruptions this time!"

Terezi nodded, understanding and "looking" in the general direction of her shadow. "Yes... Like I said... I never denied that I keep doing all of this to myself. I can't just say 'I'm trying!', because I'm really not... As much as I hate it, this self destructive act is part of me. And I can't beat it alone. I have to stop facing it by myself, just making it worse. You know that, right? You're me."

Shadow Terezi smiled for a moment, fading into a Persona. Terezi's Persona closely resembled statues of 'justice' seen in many courthouses; a woman wrapped in white linen robes, with a scale in one hand, and a blindfold in the other hand instead of a sword. It was unclear why she held the blindfold instead of wearing it. She also sported a Greek-style helmet on her head, and had a shield strapped on her back.

"Athena." Terezi announced as the Persona faded into a card. The card was labeled with the numeral 'VIII' and depicted an upside-down sword, with a scale hanging from each side of the hilt. One side of the card was red, while the other was white. Once Terezi accepted the card, she was bathed in the characteristic blue light before collapsing into Vriska's arms. 

"We better get her out of here." Dave said. "Where's the door?" 

Roxy pointed to the room that had preceded the courtroom, the one where they had battled the onslaught of prisoner shadows. Where the entrance to that room had once stood, a glowing doorway was now standing. 

"Let's go, then. Can you walk, Terezi?" 

Terezi nodded. "Yeah. Just a little tired." she answered, getting up to her feet. 

As the group entered the room, they heard familiar laughter. Vriska immediately readied her dice and summoned Arachne. "Gamzee, come out so I can smear the walls with you!" she shouted angrily.

Gamzee stepped out from behind the glowing door with his flaming clubs still in hand. "What's good?"

"That's all you have to say?" John asked. "Why are you forcing people in here?"

"This fucker thinks I'm gonna spill everything just cause he asks." Gamzee mused with a chuckle, shaking his head. "Couldn't just let sis here be all buddy buddy with her shadow, ya know? It's more fun for everybody when everything goes motherfuckin' haywire."

"This is your idea of fun?" Dave asked, crossing his arms. "Couldn't you just go torture a few woodland animals like a normal insane person and leave us alone?"

Gamzee laughed aloud. "Who says I ain't doin' that now, huh? Besides, this game is way more motherfuckin' fun, bro. It's a game I intend to fuckin' win. And I'm gonna drag you motherfuckers along whether you know it or not!" he shouted, readying his clubs.

Dave and the others readied their weapons, prepared for Gamzee's attack, but an attack never came. Gamzee grinned and struck the ground instead, a puddle of blackness forming at the site where his club struck the ground. 

"Is he summoning a Shadow?" John asked, his warhammer gripped tight.

"Why don't y'all handle this? Y'all could use the motherfuckin' experience the next time we run into each other!" Gamzee shouted, leaping back into the glowing door as the puddle began to grow and form into a larger figure. Once it finished growing and morphing, the liquid blackness dripped away from the figure inside, revealing a massive, stone, statue-like shadow carrying a sword and a scale.

"Is a break so much to fucking ask for?" Dave shouted, readying his blade and summoning Yatagarasu for a change of pace. The others readied their Personas as well, save for Terezi. 

The statue swung its sword in a sweeping motion, forcing the John and Dave to duck as they approached the shadow. Vriska, Rose, and Roxy stayed back, as their attacks didn't require them to get close. 

Dave had Yatagarasu shoot a bolt of lightning at the shadow. The bolt struck but the shadow didn't flinch at all. "Lightning's no good!" Dave announced.

Terezi "watched" as the group launched various attacks that had absolutely no effect on the massive shadow. Suddenly the card that she had accepted earlier appeared before her. Instinctively she reached out and grabbed it, shattering the card and summoning Athena behind her.

Vriska whirled around. "Terezi, what are you doing?"

Terezi stood up and turned to Athena, who lowered herself and wrapped her held blindfold around Terezi's eyes. The blindfold began glowing, and Terezi grinned. "You'll see!" she announced, running forward with Athena right behind her. "Because I can see!"

Vriska's eyebrow quirked. "You can see?"

"Yes! That shadow there can't be harmed by what they're throwing at it. You'll need to use a spell of darkness. 'Mudo' is what it's called, I think." Terezi told Vriska.

"How can you tell?" Vriska asked.

"I can just see it, alright?" Terezi responded. "I think you're the only one here that can use Mudo. Show me what you've got, sis!"

Vriska looked at Terezi silently for a moment. "Alright. I trust you." she said with a nod, raising her hand to command Arachne. 

Dave narrowly avoided the statue's next sword strike. Their attacks were completely ineffective, and they couldn't just walk around the shadow while it completely blocked off the exit door. Just as he readied himself for another strike, Dave saw a purple flame appear before the shadow's face. After a short moment of burning, the flame exploded and took the shadow with it, leaving the way to the doorway open.

Dave turned back to Vriska and was surprised to see Terezi utilizing her Persona. "How did you know to do that?"

"We can talk more about it when we get Terezi out of here!" Vriska said, catching Terezi as she collapsed again from the exertion. "Come on!"

Dave nodded and stepped through the door, letting the others follow him out.

__________

Dave jolted back awake as he regained consciousness in the real world. He turned to check the clock: 7:15 AM. They had been inside the computer for barely an hour, apparently. The others in the dorm had probably already left, though they might have not even made it to class yet.

Vriska was the next to wake. She instantly placed her laptop aside and made her way to the front door. "I'll be right back!" she announced, running out to get Terezi. 

Everyone else was awake when Vriska and Terezi returned to the dorm. They were hornless and fair-skinned once again. 

After filling Terezi in about everything that had happened and the basics of what they knew about the world and their Personas, the group allowed Terezi to ask questions.

"I really don't get why we looked different." Terezi said. "Well, according to all of you, anyway. I wish I could see these horns myself."

"Didn't your Persona let you see, though?" Vriska asked. 

"Sort of." Terezi answered. "I guess I couldn't call it 'seeing' like all you can. I see a lot of colors and from that... I guess I can tell what the enemy is weak to or strong against. It's difficult to explain fully."

"Sounds like an invaluable skill." Rose commented. "With Terezi's help, we could be far more effective against any enemies we encounter. Particularly since Dave possesses the skill to use just about any elemental attack."

"Jeez, no pressure, right?" Dave said. "But I guess you're right. Still, I can't just do this all by myself. Switching Personas isn't as easy as you'd think. I have to concentrate."

"Of course, I didn't mean we'd be leaving it all up to you." Rose clarified. "You're simply the greatest asset in battle we currently have. Not to discount the rest of us, of course."

"It'd be really baller if we could have had Dirk in there." Roxy commented. "He's the strongest of all of us. He doesn't have Dave's versatility, but he was able to crush Jane's shadow like it was nothin'."

"We'll have to take him next time then." John said. "I don't want to have to struggle again like we did today. If Dave hadn't pulled off that awesome ice move, we'd have been goners."

"Yeah, speaking of which..." Dave muttered, wincing. "I'm still worn out as hell. I don't think I'm going to show up today at all. I feel like I can barely walk."

"I assume that expending energy in the computer world takes its toll in the real world as well." Rose deducted. "We'll need to be careful about that."

The others nodded. 

"Terezi, we should get back." Vriska said. "You could use some rest."

Terezi nodded tiredly.

"We'll talk more when we aren't all feeling like shit." Dave added. "Something needs to be figured out. I've got Gamzee on the brain, specifically."

"You and me think alike, then." Vriska answered. "I'll see you guys later."

John waved. "Bye, Vris!"

Vris cracked a smile and waved back, exiting with Terezi.

With a groan, Dave stretched himself out on the sofa. "Wake me up in a few hours." he said to no one in particular. "I feel like I haven't laid down in years."

John nodded. "I guess we should go to school. We can just say we overslept."

Rose stood from her seat. "Yes, that would be best. We've got about five minutes until the first bell rings at 7:30. We might make it if we hurry."

Roxy giggled. "One tardy won't kill you!" she told the others as she strode out the door. John and Rose followed her out, leaving Dave alone in the dorm to take a much-needed nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Sorry about taking a while to update, guys. I've been a little busy with both getting ready for college, and I've admittedly been having quite a bit of fun with my new Vita. Persona 4 Golden is amazing and it's definitely cutting into my writing time. Still, expect to see more updates in the future, just with greater intervals between each. I hope you all liked this one.))


	15. Second Chance

Dave awoke to the familiar presence of the Velvet Room. It felt real this time, unlike his previous nightmare. The familiar singing rang true, though the room seemed emptier than before; Igor was present as always in his seat, but Margaret was gone.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor said as he always did. "I have called you here to discuss the challenge presented to you in recent times, and what you can do to overcome it."

Dave sat comfortably in his seat. "No cryptic messages this time? You're actually going to tell me what to do?"

"Not precisely." Igor responded, leaning forward. "I am here to present you with information and guidance for you to ponder on your own time. I am doing my best to fit my role as your guide through your journey, and as such, I must apologize for the vagueness of my statements, but their meanings shall become clear to you in time. Perhaps they can give you insight to future occurrences."

"Yeah, I get that." Dave replied with a nod. He decided to be at least a little more courteous to Igor; after all, the guy was just doing his job. "Sorry for going off on you that time, by the way."

Igor held up his hand. "There is no need to apologize. You are... far more animated than our previous guests. It is this animation that makes your bonds develop so easily."

"Who were your previous guests, anyway? There are other people using Personas out there?" Dave asked.

"Our previous guests all had stories and bonds of their own. They protected those they loved, sought the truth in the midst of lies. It is not my place to divulge details on their lives and journeys, but suffice to say that you shall be among them in greatness and in the strength of your bonds." Igor replied. "We invite only those with great potential. Those with the power to harness the bonds that create their 'world'. I have no doubts that you are capable of such, and it is my duty to guide you to that end."

"Well. If it has to be me, then I guess I can't skip out on doing what I have to do." Dave muttered. "I still think some of the others would be better at this hero business, but I'm not going to pussy out if no one else can do it."

"Your desire to protect the bonds you have forged is admirable. It is one of the things that gives you such strength." 

"Oh, by the way, before we get on with what you called me here for. Where's the babe in blue, what's-her-face?" Dave asked.

"Margaret is... absent. She shall not return for some time." Igor responded, looking down. "She is out dealing with family matters, to bring one she loves dearly back to where she belongs. Of that, I can say no more. Suffice to say, you and I shall be the only inhabitants of this room for the remainder of your journey."

Dave nodded, not expecting exact details. "Well, that's family for you, I guess. I'll leave Velvet business with Velvet people. So what's the deal with you calling me this time? You said you can help me with what's coming up?"

"Ah, yes. As I have said before, you bonds are your strength. It is up to you to use this strength to face your opposition." Igor went on. "Your enemy threatens not only yourself, but those you keep close, and the ones they hold close as well. How far are you willing to go to save as many as you can?"

"Anything." Dave replied plainly, trying not to get angry again. "I know that sounds like cheap talk, but I fucking mean it."

"Your sincerity and dedication is admirable. I do not doubt you. Please take it into consideration, however, that your bonds do not only povide strength in the form of raw power in battle." Igor clarified. "Your bonds will also give you the strength you need to make difficult decisions, decisions that may directly affect those you care for."

"No pressure, right?" Dave uttered simply.

"As I said, how you utilize your bonds as your strength is up to you." Igor continued. "Remember, entering this room means that you have signed a contract. You understand that you are to take responsibility for all you own actions. That which is done, is done."

"Yeah. I get that." Dave affirmed. 

"Your enemy possesses great power." Igor said. "But your free will, the support of those around you shall be your strength. I wished for you to be warned that a great catastrophe lies in your future. The arcana of the Wheel of Fortune will remind you that progression through time is a series of ups and downs. Without terrible events, miracles would lose their significance, and vice-versa. This universal truth is the message behind your arcana. Such is your power; you have the means to facilitate a change in fortune, to bring light where there is darkness."

"Wow. You make me sound important, man." Dave mused with a smile.

"More so than you realize." Igor affirmed. "But that is all that I shall tell you for now. You have recently overcome a great obstacle through masterful use of your Personas. You have earned a time of rest, but remember that strife and difficulties shall follow. Such is the nature of the Wheel. I wish you... good fortune."

Dave smirked. "You've got jokes, man. Never though you had it in ya."

Igor did not respond, rather simply giving his signature creepy grin as Dave drifted away from the Velvet Room and back into consciousness.

In the blackness that was the transition between consciousness and unconsciousness, Dave heard a ringing; the same ringing noise that accompanied his social link messages in his mind. However, he heard no voice as he normally did. He could see a card, though it was rather different from the others he had seen from his social links. The card was lined with gold, numbered 'XX', and featured what looked like an Egyptian figure with a rod and headdress. No voice called out to him to tell him what the Arcana was called, and he felt no warmth when the card disappeared.

Dave had no time to think of an explanation before he returned to a waking state.

__________

The clock on the wall was the first thing Dave looked at when he awoke. It was around 1 PM: everyone would be getting off of school in about an hour. He had slept far longer than he had intended.

Groaning, Dave got to his feet and pondered on what to do with himself when everyone got back. The damage done by the Labor Day event was still being felt. Jade probably still didn't want to talk to him, and at this rate, Egbert would be getting laid before he did. The entire world was flipping upside down.

Dave needed some tunes to calm his restless mind, and thus he ventured up to his room for a moment to retrieve the necessary tools of the trade. Minutes later, Dave had his laptop and his turntables wired up to his high-powered speakers. It was enough to get Helen Keller to start doing line dances, as Dave would put it.

A few samples and a regrettably turned-down volume knob later, Dave had turned the dorm into the musical equivalent of a very cozy club. The music was good enough on its own, and with his hands on the tables, Dave felt in control. It was one of the few times he felt as such, and it was a good feeling. The doubts that the rest of the world gave faded away when Dave was in his happy place at the turntables.

It was only when someone stepped through the door did Dave realize how long he had been messing around with his music. Jade, John and Rose entered the dorm with looks of surprise on their faces. Jade smiled for a moment before turning away from direct eye contact with Dave, passing him up as she retreated up to her room.

Dave groaned, rubbing his forehead. Once again, the female species found a way to completely confound him. He had to do something, but talking her seemed quite impractical at the moment.

"John, hey. Got a question for you." Dave shouted, having to raise his voice to be heard above his jams.

John approached and leaned in so that Dave could talk into his ear.

"Who's that Japanese chick that Jade likes? The singer with the reddish hair, you know?" Dave asked, turning the volume of the music down a bit.

John thought for a moment before whipping out his phone, doing a quick web search. "This is Risette, or Rise Kujikawa." he stated, showing Dave a picture. "Is this who you're talking about?"

"That's the name. Thanks." Dave responded. He was probably one of the only people on the planet that wouldn't remember the name of the famous idol that had recently taken the western world by storm as she did her home country, sparking an interest in eastern pop music throughout the US. She had quickly replaced the wimpy teenage boys as the main cultural focus of middle-school aged kids, and frankly, Dave welcomed the change. At least this Rise chick could actually sing.

At any rate, the idol's songs were not difficult to find, and soon enough Dave had one of her recent hits playing on his laptop, and through use of his digital turntable, he was able to mess with and scratch it. John smiled, realizing what Dave was trying to do, and left his friend to his devices.

Jade descended to the lounge a few minutes later, holding her wrist as if nervous. Dave immediately lowered the volume as he saw her.

"Dave?" Jade asked. "Can we... talk?"

"Yeah, sure." Dave confirmed, unplugging his speakers instead of searching for the power button. "Take a walk?"

Jade nodded, still keeping from eye contact. Dave took the initiative and opened the front door, holding it for her to walk out.

__________

Dave and Jade walked in silence through the sun-lit campus, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. The whole process was absolutely agonizing for Dave, who formulated countless smooth lines to deliver but could never settle on one. As they walked past a relatively unpopulated area in the shade of some trees, Jade finally broke the silence with a deep breath. "Dave?"

"Yeah, Jade?" Dave asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

"You can call me Harley, you know." she said, huffing slightly.

"Yeah, and I can call you Jade too. That's the cool thing about having two names."

"You see, this is what I was worried about." Jade admitted, sighing. "I... The reason I ran away after... well... that... is because I realized how different you acted around me once we started acting flirty. We've only known each other outside of the internet for a month at most. And... I'm just scared."

"Scared of what?" Dave asked.

"That!" Jade exclaimed. "Look, it's kinda hard to explain, but... Since you've got here and we've got closer, you've been treating me differently... And I'm just afraid that if we get any closer, the friendship at the core of all this would just keep changing... until it's not there anymore. I mean... I like you because you're you. You know? You never seemed like the caring sort, I guess... I was used to you not acting all sympathetic, I was used to you trying to crack a joke when I was sad. It usually worked, too."

"Aw, shit, Harley..." Dave muttered, taking a seat on a bench. "I... uh... I'm not exactly sure what to say really. But I get where you're coming from."

"Do you really?" Jade asked, sitting beside him. "I'm not asking you to act unlike how you want to... I'm scared of us changing. I don't want to be a stereotypical couple or anything... You're anything but typical, after all."

"I really do, though." Dave answered. "I'm not a different person when I act like that, you know. It's just another side of me, I guess. Rose lectured me on Jungian philosophy the other day and she makes a good point; this whole Persona deal that we have to deal with? Outside of those giant things we use to beat the shit out of shadows, that Jung guy said a Persona is like a mask we use to face our day-to-day fights and stuff, you know? It's not a lie, and it's not the only part of us. It's just one part. That's what this is like. I'm not changing. I'm just showing you another side of myself, you know? And you of all people should know how that's a pretty big fucking deal for me."

Jade smiled the entire time Dave was talking. "Just... let your original self show a lot too, please?"

"Duh, of course. You can't turn the Strider off."

Jade giggled for a bit, then took another deep breath. "I'm... sorry for running away at the party."

"It ain't no thing, l'il mama." Dave said, sitting back against the bench.

"No... it really was." Jade said, sniffling slightly. "It... that could have been a really great moment and... and... I just kinda ruined it by running away... Dave, I'm... I'm sorry." 

Dave's eyes widened as he noticed that Jade had begun weeping softly. His mind immediately set off alarms as he sat up to look at her. There were few things that could strike fear into the heart of Strider, but having to deal with Jade crying was one of them. Delicate situations were not Dave's forte, and this situation was the emotional equivalent of playing catch with an antique porcelain doll.

The first and only thing that came to mind was to scoot over and hold her. That's what you're supposed to do with crying people, right? Dave did just that, wrapping her in a tight hug as she cried into his shoulder. He couldn't think of anything to say; the generic "It's okay" and "Let it all out" phrases seemed too cliche, so he decided that his hug would suffice despite the silence.

Jade shuddered as her crying slowed. "I'm sorry, Dave..."

"You've got nothing to be sorry about, alright?" Dave responded. "Look, I'm not good at this kind of shit either. Anyone who's actually good at romantic shit is not human. So... don't apologize. We both fucked up, but it's cool now that it's all out on the table."

"Y-yeah." Jade agreed, pulling away from the hug. "You're right. I'm sorry for freaking out..."

"From this point onwards I'm decreeing 'sorry' to be a very, very dirty swear word. So hush with that, alright?" Dave stated, smiling.

Jade giggled aloud and wiped her eyes. "I'm so- I mean... Umm... Where do we go from here?"

"What do you want?" Dave asked.

"A second chance to make up for dashing yesterday." Jade answered.

"Your wish is my command, Harley." Dave responded, leaning in and kissing her once more; this time with no intent to let her go.


	16. Whiteboard Strategizing

Rose gathered everyone in their dorm the following afternoon after classes. Dave was rather surprised when he entered the lounge, as Rose had a rather elaborate diagram set up on a whiteboard with symbols drawn on it, representing several classical elements. In addition, every Persona-user’s name was written on it. Dave’s name was circled.

“Good afternoon.” Rose announced once everyone had gathered. “I asked you all to be here today to discuss our strategy in the Computer world. With our enemies becoming stronger, it will be useful to know not only their weaknesses and strengths, but our own as well. With Terezi’s help, I was able to figure a few facets of our Persona abilities and was able to lay them out on a chart.”

Terezi smiled and waved as her name was mentioned.

“You will notice that each of these symbols represent an element that we use when attacking with our Personas. Each has a name; you may have found yourself uttering it when performing such an attack. ‘Agi’, or fire. ‘Bufu’, or ice. ‘Zio’, or lightning. ‘Garu’, or wind. ‘Mudo’, or darkness. ‘Hama’, or light. In addition, physical attacks can be considered a sort of element on their own. Support spells seem to exist as well, such as ‘Dia’, which is used to heal.”

“So why did you write our names out?” Dave asked.

“I’m glad you asked” Rose replied, smiling. It was all too clear that she was really enjoying this. “I wrote our names to list off our respective strengths and weaknesses. My theory is that when we summon our Personas, we take on aspects of them as our own. We gain inhuman strength, supernatural resistance to damage, and in some cases, resistance and weaknesses to certain elements. When our Personas take damage, we suffer it as well, and vice versa. They are, after all, another side of us.”

“So you called us up to discuss what our strengths and weaknesses are, right?” Jade questioned, excited as well. She seemed to be happier and giddier than usual, though no one but Dave knew why.

“That’s correct. I’ll go down the list, starting from Dave, who is a rather special case.” Rose stated, looking at Dave.

“Because of the multiple Personas, right?” Dave guessed.

“Very correct. Our Personas are our strength and our weakness, but you possess the ability to change your Persona mid-battle and adapt your strengths and weaknesses to adapt to the situation. This makes you far stronger than the rest of us. That is why we cannot enter the computer world without you leading us.”

Next, Rose pointed to Terezi. “Terezi, too, is a special case. Though her Persona has a few strengths; Strong versus Hama and Mudo and weak to Agi; her Persona is less oriented towards battle and far more useful in a support position. Her Persona possesses the power to scan our enemies and reveal their weaknesses, which will be vital to our success. Therefore, entering the computer world without Terezi is also foolhardy at best.”

Rose herself was next on the list. “My Persona specializes in the use of magic, and is strong versus Hama, while being weak to Mudo. It seems that though I have no particular strength or weakness to the Zio element, I can still use Zio spells. I assume that one’s Persona doesn’t require a strength to be able to use a certain element, but those with a strength towards an element are almost guaranteed to possess spells of that element.”

Next was John. “John, your Persona is quite balanced between physical and magical attacks. It is strong versus Garu, and weak versus Bufu. It appears you also have some healing capability as well.”

John nodded in confirmation as Rose moved on to Jade.

“Jade, your Persona is very strong in the use of magic, perhaps the strongest of all of us so far. Though you are resistant to Bufu and weak to Agi, your Persona’s true talent lies in healing spells.”

Rose moved on from the four Juniors and moved on to the seniors, the original Persona users of the group. “We’ll begin with Roxy, who is rather balanced like John. Strong versus Bufu, weak versus Zio.”

Roxy nodded, taking a teeny sip of a martini then placing it aside to return her hands to her computer. It seemed now that her turn was passed, she didn’t really need to listen any longer.

“Next, Jane, who is a strong healer like Jade. Strong versus Agi, weak versus Garu.” Rose said, moving her pointing stick down to Jake.

“Jake, your strength lies in your Persona’s physical attacks. It still has properties however; strong to Zio, weak to Bufu.”

Jake nodded, sitting rather close to Dirk.

“Dirk’s Persona is apparently unusually high-powered, with more resistances than most of us. It excels in defense and endurance, and it resists Zio, Hama, and physical attacks. However, it is weak to Agi.” Rose said, marking down a plus for each resistance and a minus sign for each weakness.

“Lastly, we have Vriska.” Rose concluded, trying to keep a venomous tone out of her voice. “Vriska’s Persona is rather odd, as is her weapon. It is proficient in all aspects of battle, but apparently has a higher affinity with ‘luck’, if you believe in such. Besides that, strong to Bufu and Hama, weak to Garu and Mudo.”

Dave’s eyebrows rose. “How did you and Rezi figure this out?”

Rose smiled. “A short visit to the computer world so that she could use her Persona.” she replied, proud of all her work. 

“Sweet, then.” Dave responded. “Now we know more than absolutely nothing. Better than before, anyway.”

“I agree.” Vriska stated, patting John’s thigh and standing up. “Well… me and Terezi better get back. I kind of want to keep an eye on the others. Just in case, ya know?”

“Got it.” Dave affirmed, standing up and looking at Terezi. “Welcome to the team.” He said, offering his hand out. He stood there looking like an idiot for a few seconds before remembering that she was blind.

Terezi smiled, never shaking Dave’s hand. “Thanks! I’ll try and help out as I can.” 

“Cool.” Dave responded, withdrawing his hand nonchalantly. As Terezi and Vriska exited the building, he heard a sharp ring in his head. A new social link.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Justice Arcana."

Dave recognized the card that appeared, the card that appeared when Terezi used her Persona for the first time. It faded away and Dave returned to his normal senses.

“Dave? You alright?” Jade asked, looking up at him. 

“Yeah… just kinda phased out for a sec.” Dave answered, then realizing that he needed to talk to Jade more about where they were going with what was apparently going to be a relationship. “Uh… you got time to talk?”

“With you? Of course, dummy.” Jade replied, grinning. “Outside?”

“Yeah.” Dave answered.

_________

“So, what’s this about?” Jade asked as she and Dave stepped outside and sat beside him on a bench.

“Just wanted to set a few things straight, know what’s official and all, ya know?” Dave replied. “People tend to assign terms and shit to the different ‘stages’ or relationships and it’s usually all terms pulled out of people’s asses.”

“I see what you mean.” Jade said with a nod. “So… what are we?”

“I don’t know.” Dave admitted. “Where do you see this going?”

“I think it’s going pretty good.” Jade replied, smiling. “Though I wouldn’t mind being able to hold your hand in public. Where do you want this to go?”

“Shit, as far as you want it, I guess.” Dave answered, admittedly not very good at this kind of thing.

“Weeellll…” Jade said, rolling her eyes. Before Dave could react, Jade stretched out on the bench and rested her head on his lap, looking up at him. “I think I’ll just lay here and call myself your girlfriend until you make up your mind.”

“Oh.” Dave muttered, his face nearly as red as his shirt. “That works. Hell, that’s fucking awesome. Yeah, let’s do that.” 

“Anything you wouldn’t want me doing?” Jade asked.

“Uh… Hand holding is fine. Just… let’s make sure we’re not in public if we start making out or something.”

“Anywhere else is fine though, right?” Jade asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.” Dave uttered back, still trying to keep his composure. How Jade was being so calm in this situation was completely beyond him.

“Good. How are we gonna tell everyone?”

“Let them find out, I guess?” Dave guessed.

“Good, I like it.” Jade giggled. “I doubt it’ll take anyone very long though.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well… there’s no one around right now… Would you consider us ‘in public’?” Jade asked, placing a hand on Dave’s shoulder.

“No, I guess not.”

Jade said nothing, instead pulling herself up by Dave’s shoulders up to his lips. They closed their eyes and let the heat of the moment take over their actions. 

Dave DID agree to making out when not in public, after all, and if this were any indication, then it wasn’t a bad agreement to make at all.

__________

John sat with a book in his hands, facing away from the window of the dorm. Similarly, Rose was working with a needle and thread, fashioning herself a phone cozy. Why a phone would need a cozy was anyone’s guess, but that didn’t stop Rose.  
“Do you think they don’t know that we know yet?” John asked, not even looking up from his book.

“Probably not.” Rose replied, focused on her knitting.

“Should we let them know that we know?” 

“Absolutely not.” Rose replied, grinning.


	17. That's The Power of Love

October fell within a few days, bringing with it slightly colder weather and more rigorous classes. Now that everyone was acclimated, teachers wasted no time in getting into the full swing of their lessons. Essays and quizzes piled up upon each other, and the students took more joy in spending time with each other away from their studies.

Dave and Jade’s obvious attraction to each other was already known by pretty much everyone who cared, and news of their relationship spread quickly as expected. This was of little consequence to either of them, and they carried on as if no one else could see them.

The relative peace was shattered one afternoon after school. Dave, Jade and Rose were lounging around in the aptly-named lounge when Vriska came through the dorm’s door with a shocked look on her face and John in tow. “He got Nepeta and Equius.”

“Son of a bitch.” Dave muttered. “I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s targeting you guys. Wasn’t anyone watching?”

“I have to sleep, asshole!” Vriska retorted, her stress attributing to her choice of words more than Dave’s question. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. But seriously, there’s nothing I can do! If Gamzee can fucking warp places and take over people’s minds, then I can’t really stop him.”

“I get it, I get it. Sorry about that.” Dave answered. “Then we’d better get in there. How long has it been?”

“I went to bed around midnight and they were both still up around then. They’re usually the first two to wake up, but when I went downstairs I didn’t see them. I figured that they must have overslept, but they never showed up for school, so I checked on them when I got back. They’re in comas in their rooms as we speak. So it’s been a few hours.”

“Then we don’t have any time to lose!” John affirmed. 

“Agreed. Let’s call everyone down and decide on a team once we’re inside.” Rose said, running upstairs to retrieve her laptop. Dave pulled his own out and powered it on; Nepeta and Equius’ situation was confirmed by a notification on Dave’s screen, similar to the one that appeared when Vriska was in the computer world.

Everyone met on the lounge floor, save for Roxy who was busy with getting the van she shared with Jake, Dirk, and Jane fixed. After a quick assessment of the situation, everyone entered the Gateway Code and entered the computer world. 

__________

Once inside Asphodel, the group sought out the doors belonging to Equius and Nepeta. They had never had to save two people before, but they assumed that they would have to split up. It was also noted that Vriska and Terezi had once again taken on heir horned, grey-skinned appearances once they were inside the computer.

To their surprise, there was only one door to be found, with both of their names on it. The world was apparently titled “Leatherbound Lair”.

“I hesitate to wonder what’s beyond that door.” Rose said. “Dave, you can only take four of us plus Terezi. Who will go with you?”

“Why are you asking me? You’re the one with the strategies laid out.” Dave responded defensively, throwing his hands up. 

“Yes, but if you’re going to lead us in the world, it’s best you pick a team that you feel comfortable leading.”

“Shit, no pressure then.” Dave said, turning his head and scanning the group. “Um… Well… Jake, Dirk and Jade. You guys didn’t go last time, so you’re with me. Rose, you’ve got a lot of knowledge about all of this, we could use you. We’ve got someone strong against pretty much everything that way.”

“Awww.” John muttered. Vriska sneered a little as well. 

“Very well. The rest of the group will wait here. If something happens to someone, send them back and one of the others will try to take their place.” Rose answered. “Let’s head inside.”

“Roger that.” Dave responded, looking to those following them in. “Let’s head in then.”

Followed by the others, Dave opened the door and entered Equius and Nepeta’s world.

__________

Dave took a deep breath as his vision came into focus. The area they were in looked like dimly-lit basement, adorned with various skimpy pieces of leather clothing used in the kind of bed-play people only hear about in comedy movies. In addition, whips, ball gags, and a few chokers were hung as well.

“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Dave muttered, looking at the room in surprise and disgust. 

Dirk spied a gas mask on the wall and looked over to Jake with a nod and a smirk. Jake responded in turn with a quick punch to the shoulder.

Rose immediately turned red as she saw the decoration, tucking her hands in her pockets and keeping her head down.

Jade was red in the face as well, though obviously not as disturbed as poor Rose was. Terezi seemed unfazed, probably because she lacked eyesight.

“Let’s… just go.” Dave said, materializing his katana. Dirk nodded as if in approval, gripping his fist to summon a katana of his own. Jake took hold of a pair of pistols, while Jade and Rose brought their weapons into their hands. 

“What are you all doing? I’m hearing noises.” Terezi asked.

“Try gripping your hand, Terezi.” Dirk said. “You’ll end up with a weapon in your hands. No way to tell what it’ll be until you try it.”

Terezi shrugged and did what she was instructed to do. In her hand appeared a tapping stick typically used for blind people such as herself to get around. Instead of the usual black and white simple design, however, the cane was teal and red with a small dragon’s head at the top. Terezi felt the cane and tugged on the top, revealing a hidden blade.

“That’s pretty badass.” Dave said admiringly, a little jealous. Still, a katana was pretty cool and quite serviceable. “Anyway, let’s get on with it. Terezi, you’re not missing much.”

Terezi giggled and summoned her Persona. Athena appeared behind her and wrapped the blindfold around Terezi’s eyes, allowing her to ‘see’ to an extent. The others followed suit and summoned their own Personas.

Dave had not yet seen Dirk’s Ozymandias and Jake’s Odysseus. Ozymandias was a stereotypical king-like figure, a robed man with a white beard and a shining crown. He sat in a golden, floating throne.

Odysseus, on the other hand, looked like a man who had been stranded on an island for many years. His face sported a scraggly, unkempt beard, and his clothes appeared handmade and worn. He carried rope around his shoulder and a fishing spear in his right hand. 

Once everyone’s Personas were readied, Dave led the walk out of the basement. The door led to a hallway, as was the usual with the dungeon structure that the group was used to. The halls were similarly decorated to the room they had just exited, which contributed to the feeling of secondhand embarrassment that the group felt. 

“I wonder if all this stuff is from Equius’ heart or Nepeta’s…” Jade muttered. “I’m not sure which is less disturbing. It’s kinda hard to picture little Nepeta like this… and it hurts my brain just THINKING about Equius like this.”

Rose, usually talkative, kept quiet, trying to avert her eyes from the walls. 

The group heard a skitter that echoed throughout the halls.

“Shadows?” Dirk asked, readying his sword as Ozymandias swiveled around. 

Indeed, an odd wheel-shaped Shadow rolled into view. The shadow resembled a jet-black-skinned man chained up and tied upside-down onto a spiked wheel. The standard mask that all shadows wore was a little different, with a zipper in place of a mouth.

“I fucking hate this place.” Dave muttered as more similar shadows rolled into view. 

“Ditto.” Rose muttered. 

Jake was first to act, firing off two shots at the closest shadow. The bullets bounced off completely and flew into Odysseus, who recoiled slightly. 

“Give me a second before you attack blindly, idiot!” Terezi shouted, rather harshly. She just seemed to be that kind of person. Her blindfold glowed as she scanned the group of enemies. 

The shadows sent gusts of wind at the group as they prepared their respective attacks. Rose did her best to dodge the gusts as they were her weakness, but was knocked away when a stray blast hit her.

Terezi’s glowing blindfold faded back to its’ usual non-brightness. “I’ve got it! Don’t use physical attacks, try ice!”

“Oh, hell yes!” Dave shouted, switching out Titan and calling on his Magician arcana, summoning Jack Frost. With a nod to Jade, Dave unleashed a hail of icicles on the group of enemies, accompanied with shattering blocks of ice from Jade. 

The shadows’ wheels spun out of control and fell to the ground, completely defenseless. “Now’s your chance!” Terezi called, raising her cane and pointing.

“You got it!” Dave shouted, charging off with the others. Once close enough, the entire group unleashed magical attacks of all sorts while the enemy was down. The all-out attack was more than enough to wipe out the group and send them into a cloud of black smoke.

“Well, that works for strategy, huh?” Dave asked. “Knock their asses down and then proceed to kick said asses.”

“I wouldn’t put it so crudely, but yes. That seems to be adequate to dispose them.” Rose replied, smiling at Dave’s choice of words.

“Terezi, you definitely make this a lot easier!” Jade said, smiling at Terezi. Terezi giggled and smiled from the compliment.

“Yeah, I doubt we’ll have many issues with backup like that.” Dirk agreed. “How much farther you think until we reach those two?”

“Usually the dungeons are a lot of walking accompanied by occasional squads of shadows. I think that was the ‘big one’. Though we had a really rough one in Terezi’s place… but maybe that was because of Gamzee being there.” Dave replied. Terezi hissed at the mention of Gamzee.

“At any rate, we should get to Nepeta and Equius. Chances are that their Shadows won’t start seriously attacking their emotions until we arrive, but we’d better hurry regardless.”

“Best idea I’ve heard all day!” Jake said, fidgeting. “This place really makes me quite knackered. All we’ve got to do is find those two, then Bob’s your uncle!”

“Um. Yeah. What he said, except in English.” Dave said, leading the way further down the hallway.

After a few twists and turns and a couple of easily-dispatched shadow squads, Dave and company arrived at a large door, characteristic of the place where the unregistered person (or people, in this case) were kept alongside their Shadow. The door was similar to the others in the dungeon, seeming to be made of cheap wood, but in reality being quite sturdy. Jake was able to easily break down the door using Odysseus, leading the way to where Nepeta and Equius were being kept.

They arrived in another basement-room, though it was exceptionally large compared to the last one; likely to make room for the inevitable fight. Equius sat in the center with Nepeta wrapped in her arms, as if trying to protect her from an unexpected attack. As Dave had expected, they both had grey skin and horns like Terezi and Vriska. Nepeta’s horns resembled cat ears, while Equius’ horns looked like arrows.

“Ah! And here come more to witness the fall of the puppeteer and his dear puppet!” called out a voice; Dave guessed it to be Equius’ shadow. 

“No time for monologues, asshole. Show your face then turn around so we can kick your ass.” Dave shouted.

As if invited, Shadow Equius and Shadow Nepeta faded into view. Dave silently thanked his luck that they weren’t fitted in BDSM gear, instead dressed in their normal clothing. Otherwise, he would have strongly considered leaving the dungeon immediately. 

“Aw, let him continue.” Shadow Nepeta said, a slight purr in her distorted voice. “What’s the fun if you just attack right off the bat?”

“This one does not care much for fun though, does he?” Shadow Equius asked, kneeling down before Equius. “No, certainly not. You never seek to have fun. You have fun by controlling others and keeping them from doing what they like. Take your poor puppet, for example.”

Equius sneered and let out a nearly inhuman growl at his shadow, holding Nepeta tighter. The act of defiance merely made their Shadows cackle.

“You will never let her go, will you?” Shadow Equius asked. “You tell her that it is for her own good and safety, but that is far from reality, is it not? You relish in having control. You crave the structure, the feeling of being in power. And yet you also crave the idea of being told what to do as well!”

Nepeta wept. “Stop!” she cried out. “Stop talking about him like that! We just want to leave!”

“Then we’ll talk about you.” Shadow Nepeta replied, sneering. “The lover of love. Profurssional matchmaker, master of shipping. But when it comes to love that involves yourself, you’re just hopeless!”

Nepeta wailed as Equius tightened his hold on her.

“They all say it, don’t they? ‘Why not Equius?’ ‘You two are so close.’ ‘You would make a cute couple.’ They just don’t get it. Or, at least they think they don’t.”

Slowly, Nepeta turned to her Shadow. “Wh…what?”

“Why NOT Equius?” Nepeta asked, grinning evilly. “Always there… always watching over you… he’d be perfect, wouldn’t he? Wouldn’t submitting to him be easy? You’re already a puppet in his hands… why not just go all the way?”

“That’s… that’s not how I feel at all!” Nepeta shouted, distancing herself a little bit from Equius’ tight hold. “Equius is like my big brother. You say you’re me, you should know that!” 

Dave noticed that Nepeta wasn’t using her usual cat puns, most likely due to her distress.

“I am you, sweetheart.” Shadow Nepeta said, stroking her real self’s chin. “Whether you care to admit it or not.”

“Shall I take over?” Shadow Equius asked. “Where even to begin? How loosely you cling to your silly sense of structure? Some of those above you in status are such imbeciles… why do you respect them so? Why do you crave dominating so much, yet go right around and wish to be dominated at the same time?”

“Silence!” the real Equius shouted. “You say you are me, but that is a lie!”

“Yeah!” Nepeta shrieked. “And you’re not me! I know how I feel!”

“Goddammit.” Dave muttered. “You think at least some people would have their emotional lives in check.”

Shadow Nepeta and Shadow Equius cackled and stepped away from their real selves, becoming engulfed in the characteristic red smoke. Before long, they gave way to their true shadow forms; Shadow Equius took on the form of a massive, shirtless, muscle-bound man wearing tight leather pants and a torture hood. In his right hand he held a whip, and in his left, he held a crop. The sight made the group (other than Terezi, of course) rather unesasy.

Shadow Nepeta, on the other hand, became a puppet-like creature that took on a feral, feline battle stance. Donned in similar leather clothing like Shadow Equius, she also sported a large cracked heart symbol on her chest. Her hands ended in large, deadly-looking claws, and she also possessed a whip-like black tail.

“I am a Shadow!” announced Shadow Equius as he cracked his whip.

“The true self!” Shadow Nepeta added, hissing and baring her claws.

“The world breaks everyone, and very few are left strong in the broken places!”

“Love never dies a natural death!” 

Dave’s eyebrow quirked. “What the hell does that even mean?”

“Enough talk! Raise your weapons and prepare to be put down like the dogs you are!” Shadow Equius shouted.

“Right back at you!” Dave retorted, calling on the power of his newly established arcana, Justice. “Dominion!” 

Jack Frost faded away, and a robed man with angel wings holding scales and a tome appeared before Dave. The others, their Personas already prepared, readied themselves for the battle.

Dirk acted first, sending Ozymandias forward. The kingly Persona rose into the air and then slammed his throne onto the ground, sending a shockwave at Shadow Equius.

The shockwave hit Shadow Equius, but it seemed to do nothing; even worse, Shadow Equius groaned as if he relished in the pain.

Terezi had already begun scanning the enemies. “They’re too powerful for me to see anything clearly! Just… don’t attack Shadow Equius with physical attacks. I don’t want to hear that sound again.”

“Noted!” Dave shouted. He could tell his current Persona was more oriented towards supporting the others than directly attacking. “Matarukaja!” he shouted, the strange name coming to him subconsciously.

The rest of the group each got bathed in brief flashes of purple light. They all felt stronger in a way, as the spell increased their offensive capabilities.

Taking that as a cue, Jake commanded Odysseus to charge forward with his spear towards Shadow Nepeta. As he had hoped, the blow landed soundly and made Shadow Nepeta cry out in pain. Thankfully, she did not share Shadow Equius’ affinity for physical abuse.

In retaliation for his partner’s injury, Shadow Equius cracked his long whip and swung it, striking each of the Persona users with its long reach.

“Ah, shit!” Dave shouted as he felt the pain from the attack. His shirt was now ripped and he felt blood trickling down his arm from his shoulder. “I guess they get pissed if you attack the other!”

“Then we’ll need to be prepared! Defend yourself!” Rose shouted, sending a bolt of lightning at Shadow Equius. He groaned in pain instead of pleasure as the shock caused him to convulse. Shadow Nepeta angrily stepped forward and sliced at the air, sending shockwaves from her claws at the group. The shockwaves were apparently wind-based, as they knocked Rose off of her feet when they struck her. The others had a chance to raise their guards as Rose had commanded.

“I think I see what she’s going for!” Jade shouted, casting a healing spell to help Rose back to her feet. Have someone hit one of them, then have the rest of us brace for the counterattack!”

“You think you all have it figured out, do you?” Shadow Equius taunted and Shadow Nepeta raised her claw again, swinging it down as she casted a spell. A quick shine of light shone on Equius, repairing damage that he had suffered. 

“I guess we’re not the only ones who can heal.” Dirk muttered.

“Yeah, no shit. Take Nep out first!” Dave commanded, switching Dominion out for Titan, who swung his sword hard enough to knock Shadow Nepeta from her feet. Everyone braced themselves for Equius’ counterattack, which was performed with his crop this time. The attack was aimed at Dave alone, who had no time to bring up his guard. 

“Shit!” Dave shouted as the attack struck Titan, hurting Dave as well. Jade concentrated and healed what she could, but Dave was still hurt more than the others despite her efforts. The battle was becoming one of attrition, much to Dave’s irritation.

Shadow Nepeta slowly got back up, and before she could act, Jake had Odysseus cast his rope out to pull her close, impaling her on his spear when she was pulled close enough. Shadow Nepeta shrieked in pain, while Shadow Equius roared in anger. He rushed forward and tugged Shadow Nepeta off Odysseus’ spear, then grabbed Jake and threw him hard against a wall before anyone could rush to his defense.

“Jake!” Dirk and Jade called out. 

“Bloody hell…” Jake muttered as he pushed himself up from the floor after the heavily damaging impact. “Just… take care of the last one. I’ll be fine!”

Indeed, Shadow Nepeta had dissipated after the concentrated and amplified physical assault ended with Jake’s impaling, leaving Shadow Equius on his own. Despite his lack of support, however, he was still quite a dangerous opponent; he did, after all, incapacitate Jake easily in a single throw.

“Well, he’s not gonna get beat down if we throw some physical attacks, so…” Dave muttered to himself, switching from Titan to Loki.

“Be careful this time!” Rose mentioned to Dave, referring to the time he had used Loki to wipe out the last Shadow onslaught they faced, in exchange for much of his stamina.

“Just hold him off of me!” Dave replied, charging up Loki’s Niflheim attack.

“Just be careful!” Rose answered, continuing to pester Shadow Equius with bolts of lightning. 

Jade dropped a large block of ice on Shadow Equius, causing significant damage. Once he recovered from his short bout of recoil, he turned his attention to her and reached out for her.

Alarmed, Dave stopped focusing on casting Niflheim and rushed in front of Jade, being grabbed up instead. Shadow Equius roared and tossed Dave into the wall as he did with Jake.

Dave’s vision blurred and went red for a moment as he struck the wall and then fell to the ground. His whole body felt like it was vibrating like a tuning fork.

Jade gasped and then turned back to Shadow Equius, taking advantage of his distraction and dropping another, heavier block of ice onto him. 

Shadow Equius looked up and raised his hands up to catch the block, trying to keep it from crushing him. Jade focused her Persona’s power, gripping her fist tight as she forced the ice block down. Finally overpowered, Shadow Equius’ strength gave way and he was crushed into black smoke by the massive ice block.

As soon as the threats were eliminated, the group rushed over to both Jake and Dave, who were still shook up from their trips to the wall. The real Nepeta and Equius, in the meantime, had regained consciousness and got to their feet.

Jade helped Dave to his feet and embraced him as she regained his senses. “Don’t do that again, you hear me?”

“No promises.” Dave muttered, his entire body still throbbing. 

Dirk assisted Jake in getting up as well, while Rose and Terezi went over to Nepeta and Equius to help them accept their Shadow Selves.

“You have to accept them.” Rose told them both. “It was as they said; they are another part of you, hidden deep in your mind whether you wish to admit it or not. They are your feelings and your doubts made apparent, and they will only go berserk again if you reject them.”

Nepeta looked up at Rose and sighed, turning to her Shadow. “Um… hi. I still think you’re wrong… But… you were right about some things. I’m not very good at this romance thing when it comes to myself. I do love Equius because he’s like my big brother. Everyone telling me to just go with him just made me doubt myself more and made me desperate to have someone I could love too. But you don’t need to be IN love with someone to love someone. You’re me… you’re the lies I kept telling myself.”

Shadow Nepeta dissipated and took the form of a floating woman holding a bow, wearing a heart-shaped mask and maroon-colored robes. Her skin was a pale shade of pink, and her blonde hair went down past her shoulders.

”Eros.” Nepeta muttered as the Persona faded into a card; the card of the Lovers, as Dave recalled.

Equius sighed and looked at his own shadow. “Then… I suppose you were not… completely wrong. Perhaps I have been a little too… controlling of Nepeta. I do it for her safety, but… perhaps there is a fine line somewhere that I should not cross. I… accept you as me.”

Shadow Equius nodded and faded away. In his place stood a large, extraordinarily muscular man dressed like a gladiator. He wielded a pair of massive metal cestuses, each resembling a lion’s head, that looked like enough to break down concrete with ease. “Heracles.” Equius muttered as his Persona faded away into a card. Dave recognized it as the Strength tarot card.

Nepeta gasped for air and fell to her knees, as did Equius. As was expected, the computer world had taken a toll on them. Rose went to help up Nepeta, while Dirk helped Equius to his feet. 

The exit door emitted a light to signal its’ location. Wearily, the group exited the dungeon with both Nepeta and Equius in tow. 

__________

Dave awoke back in the lounge. Terezi, Rose, Jade, Jake and Dirk awoke as well, followed by John, Vriska, and Jane. 

“Oh, good. You guys did it!” John exclaimed. “Vriska, Terezi, shouldn’t you go check on them?”

Vriska rubbed her eyes. “Yeah. They should be awake by now. Let’s go, Rezi.”

Terezi nodded and followed Vriska out of the dorm. Jake groaned; Dave assumed that he, too, was still in pain from the battle. It was dulled, but it was still present in his whole body. Dave was going to be sore for a while.

Jade sat next to Dave. “You gonna be okay?”

“A stretcher would be nice.” Dave muttered. 

Frowning, Jade hugged him gently. “Seriously though, don’t do that again.”

“No promises.” Dave said, shaking his head. 

Rose turned her head. “There’s still something that perplexes me.”

“The thing about their skin and horns?” Dave asked.

“Yes.” Rose confirmed. “You will notice that Gamzee is apparently only targeting the group of foreign exchange students. Each time they are in the computer world, they sport grey skin and differently shaped horns. Both features disappear once they return to the real world. I am unsure if this is a condition inflicted upon them by Gamzee… or just something else entirely.”

“Who knows with that place?” Dirk said. “Pretty much nothing makes sense.”

“I refuse to believe that it is just some random occurrence.” Rose interjected. “Everything in that world falls into a pattern. The names of our Personas relating to deities fall into a pattern with our Arcana or our personalities. The elements we can use and resist fall into a pattern as well. That world may be foreign to us, but there is no doubt that it is structured and follows a strict set of rules. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a specific reason that the exchange students are inflicted with that peculiar appearance.”

“I agree with Rose.” John stated. “I don’t see it so analytically, I guess, but I can see what she means by things falling into patterns. There’s some kind of reason there. Maybe we’ll find out sometime later.”

“Can we just stop thinking and take a damn break?” Dave groaned. The dull aches in every bone of his body made him rather grumpy.

“I suppose that would be best, yes.” Rose agreed, crossing her arms. 

“I guess I’d better go check with Vris to see how they’re doing.” John said, standing up from his seat and dusting off his pants.

“You do that.” Rose muttered, grabbing her laptop and making her way back up the stairs.

Jade laid her head on Dave’s shoulder. “Thanks though. I didn’t mean to complain about you jumping in front of me like that. I’m not ungrateful, I was just worried.”

Dave said nothing.

“Dave? You okay?” Jade asked, looking up at Dave. Still he said nothing. Softly she removed his sunglasses, seeing that his eyes were closed and that he was fast asleep. Shaking her head with a smile, Jade placed Dave’s sunglasses back on his face and then returned her head to his shoulder, closing her eyes for a nap as well.


	18. To Love A Dweeb

Vriska and Terezi brought Equius and Nepeta to the dorm the next day after school, intending to introduce them formally to the other Persona users.

“Welcome to Persona Headquarters, home of the Matrix-Wannabe Rescue Team.” Dave announced as they entered the dorm. “Take a seat before they’re all gone. We’re starting to run out of room here.”

Nepeta hurried over to the sofa, while Equius took a seat on one of the lounging chairs. Terezi poked around with her walking stick until she found a seat next to Nepeta and Rose. Vriska took her place next to John on the loveseat, taking his hand once she was situated. John grinned (like an idiot, as Dave would put it) and blushed.

Rose averted her gaze and turned to Dave. “Would you like to go over everything for our two newest members?”

“Vriskers told us everything already, actually.” Nepeta clarified. “All about what Gamzee’s doing, and what our Purrsonas are all about.”

“Well. Glad she was able to do that.” Rose said, putting on a fake smile. 

“You’re already involved enough to where you pretty much can’t say no to what I’m about to ask.” Dave interjected before Rose could start a catfight. “Do you wanna join us? Chances are Gamzee is going to attack again and grab one of you again. We can’t do much to stop it if he can mind control people, but we can go in there and save whoever he grabs. If we keep at it, he might get bored and give up, or come and try to stop us directly.”

“That’s been bothering me, actually.” Vriska said. “He knows we’re in there at this point, he even dropped in Terezi’s world. Why doesn’t he just attack the root of the problem and get rid of us? If we weren’t there, then the people who got thrown in would probably be killed. That’s his goal, right?”

“Really, Vriska, if his goal was to kill you, I doubt he would use such complicated methods.” Rose said. Dave braced himself for impact, hoping Rose could control herself. “I have a feeling that he’s putting people in the computer world with full knowledge that they will be rescued, and that they will gain Personas when that occurs.”

“What good does he get out of that, though?” John asked.

“Perhaps he is cultivating potential in them. He obviously has more knowledge about that world than we do. I wouldn’t hesitate to assume that he knows who is capable of utilizing a Persona as well. He has lived with the other 11 since they arrived, after all.” Rose answered. “For what purpose he is doing this, I am unsure. He had no direct interaction with myself, Jade, John, and Dave, as well as the seniors. He is specifically targeting the foreign exchange students.”

“Not true.” Dave argued. “He did have some interaction in my case. He told me about the code in the first place. On the plane, remember?”

“Ah, yes. I had nearly forgotten.” Rose said. “But when you entered the code for the first time, you didn’t become trapped in the world like we did.”

“Neither did I.” Jade said. “When I put the code in for the first time, I passed out and had that weird dream where I was falling until I grabbed my tarot card.”

“I had a dream like that, actually!” John exclaimed. “I didn’t have to put the code in to get it. It just happened when I was sleeping. The first time I did input the code, I was put into the computer world.”

“That was the case with me as well.” Rose pondered.

“Same with all of us, I think.” Vriska noted. “Equius and Nepeta both said they had that dream.”

“It was particularly memorable.” Equius agreed. “I do not normally have many dreams, and those I do are usually forgotten by morning. That one, however, remained burned in my mind.”

“It’s a common factor, then.” Rose dictated. “The dream of falling in a black space before reaching out to a card happens to every potential Persona user, even Dave. However, it seems to be triggered in different ways.”

Jade scratched her chin. “I think I see what it is. If someone enters the code without having the dream first, they have the dream right there without entering the world. And if they have the dream in their sleep, then it opens up the world so they can be registered as a new user.”

“I think she’s right.” Roxy confirmed. “We all had the dream first. It was something we didn’t talk about until after I tried the code that I heard from a rumor.”

“It wasn’t Gamzee?” Dave asked.

“No. Just some random chick, I think. I can’t really remember.” Roxy answered.

“If he is really the mastermind behind all of this as we suspect, I would not put starting the rumor past him.” Rose pointed out. “Perhaps only those who are potential Persona users can enter the world or have the dream in the first place.”

“The question of why Gamzee would do it in the first place still stands, though.” Observed Vriska. “Does he really see something special in us? And why just us? Obviously we’re not the only people capable of using Personas. The seniors were the first to go through all that.”

“Whatever the cause or reason is, I think we can all agree that Gamzee’s the one behind this.” Dirk said. “Him being there for Dave, him possibly starting a rumor, and of course him forcing the exchanges to put the code in, are all too incriminating.”

“So all we’ve gotta do is stop him!” Nepeta exclaimed excitedly. “He shouldn’t get away after putting us through that, after all.”

“I agree!” Vriska said. “Don’t get me wrong, it was nice that we were able to figure some of this out, but really, it won’t matter once we nab Gamzee, right?”

“It’s better than running around the computer world blindly.” Rose muttered. “No offense, Terezi.”

“Eh, none taken.” 

John laughed a bit, oblivious to all the tension that Rose was purposely giving off.

“John, why are you laughing at a blind girl?” Terezi questioned. “That’s horribly offensive. You disgust me.”

John immediately hushed himself up, confused. Terezi merely cackled, taking delight in messing with John. It was even funnier when it was her best friend’s boyfriend. She knew plenty about how to mess with him.

“Anyway. Back to the original question, before we became an impromptu investigation team.” Dave announced. “So, you two in?”

“Does it even need to be asked?” Nepeta giggled. “Of course we are! Right, Equius?”

Equius nodded and smiled, showing off his several broken teeth.

“Cool, then. We’ll get your numbers from Vriska. Keep in touch, and we’ll let you know if we’re ever going in to the computer. You’ll probably know before us, though.”

“Should we tell the others in our dorm, Vriskers?” Nepeta asked.

“No.” Vriska objected. “We do that, pretty soon everyone and their grandmas are jumping in to the computer world out of curiosity. As much as I hate it, we need to let Gamzee get them one at a time, or in little groups like this. We can’t catch him in the act, anyway.”

“It’s not like you’ll be able to prevent people from freaking out about all of you going into comas.” John pointed out. “Someone’s bound to find out eventually.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Vriska admitted. “We can pass that off as contagious virus or something that knocks people out for a few hours, at least for now. The more people involved in this at our dorm, the less trouble we’ll have in keeping it secret. I know the others, they’d join us if they knew what Gamzee was doing.”

“Alright, then. We’ll keep it a secret then.” John noted.

“We done here, then?” Dave asked.

“I suppose.” Rose said. “I hadn’t expected Nepeta and Equius to be informed already. I had assumed that was what we were going to do today. Still, we were able to shed light on a few more aspects on this mystery. Hypothetical light, but light nonetheless.”

“Then we’re out.” Vriska announced, standing up with John. “Nep, Equius, I guess you’re taking Rezi back to the dorm? Me and John are gonna go out and check some place out.”

“We are?” John asked, then nodded. “Yeah, we are.”

“Will do!” Nepeta stated. “You guys have fun!”

“Coffee?” Vriska asked John as they exited the dorm.

__________

Within a few minutes, the dorm was cleared out. The seniors, as usual, decided to go out and eat and hang around town. Despite the apparent romantic fluctuations among the group, with Dirk apparently leaving Jane for Jake, they seemed extremely close.

Dave nodded to Rose as she entered the lounge via the stairs. “Nice job keeping cool with Vriska in here.”

“I will admit, I struggled to a degree.” Rose sighed. “It’s enough to see him happy, yes. But Vriska just strikes me as… off.”

“Probably cause she’s going out with the dude you fell for.” Dave stated plainly. “Your view’s skewed. Vris is cool.” 

“And impulsive. And arrogant. And a little too flirty.”

“Easy there, Ice Queen. You’re just proving my point.”

Rose sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Yes, I know.”

“Why not just go find some other dude? Or chick, whatever your case is after this Egbert situation. He’s a doofus anyway.”

“Yes, he is.” Rose agreed, sighing happily.

“Dammit, please don’t tell me you’re into the dweeby type. That’s so unlike you.” Dave muttered.

“Dave, please. You’re my brother, I’d expect you to know me better. I don’t believe in ‘types’, I just believe in individuals.”

“Yeah, yeah. You picked one dweeby individual.” 

“Isn’t he your best friend?” Rose asked. 

“Duh, that’s why I can talk about him like that. When it comes down to it, John’s a giddy, dweeby idiot. But he’s my bud, so it’s all cool.”

Rose shook her head and smiled. “I suppose. I’m glad all of you were there today, I suppose.”

“Yeah, I’d hate to see you alone in a room with Vriska. I’d hate it even more to be the dude to clean up the blood.”

“I wouldn’t go for lacerations, Dave.” Rose said. “Maybe mess with her mind until she has a hemorrhage.”

“You sound really fucking evil sometimes. You know that, right?” 

“I do.” Rose said, snickering. It was the first time Dave had heard her make any noise resembling a laugh in a long while. “Thank you, Dave. Sometimes a round of friendly sibling banter is just what I need to restore the equilibrium in my brain.”

“Well, you’re using the big words still, so I guess you’re not too un-equilibrium’d.” 

Rose smiled. “Once again, thank you. I think I’ll go knit something, maybe. It does well to get my mind off things.”

“Ooooh, make me a katana cozy.” Dave pleaded.

With a shake of her head, Rose ascended the stairs back to her room. As soon as she was out of sight, Dave heard the call of a new social link in his head.

"I am thou.

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Priestess Arcana.”

Dave recognized the card of the High Priestess, which he had seen in use by Rose. 

“Took long enough.” Dave muttered to himself. He came to the conclusion that the bonds that counted towards his Persona power only counted if they were established after his power was gained.

Whatever the case was, Dave was sure that Igor would explain it later (cryptically as possible, of course). With a stretch, Dave placed his phone aside and prepared to take his afternoon nap.


	19. The Slicknasty September Pool Bash

Dave was woken up that Saturday not by his 10 AM alarm, but by a knock on his door.

“Dave!” John called. “Hey, get up!”

Groggily sliding off his bed into the floor, Dave fixed his shades and sluggishly made his way to his door. “What?” he asked as he swung his door open.

“Hey, Vriska invited us all to the school’s aquatic center. We’ve all been pretty worn out from this computer business and stuff. Figured you’d wanna come.” John offered.

“The ‘pool’, you mean?” Dave asked.

“No, I mean ‘aquatics center’. It’s not just one pool. It’s got a lazy river and an Olympic-style pool too.”

“So, two pools and circular pool. Dude, you know how I am in the morning. Don’t wake me up just to invite me somewhere where you get to see Vriska in a bikini.”

“Jade’s going too, by the way.”

After a pause, Dave sighed. “I’ll be ready in a sec.” he muttered before slamming his door.

__________

Though it was a rather tight fit, everyone from the dorm was able to fit inside the senior’s van for the short drive to the aquatics center on the other side of campus. The girls wore shirts on the way, thus concealing the mystifying qualities that the guys were no doubt curious of.

John was the first to hop out, slinging a towel over his shoulder and heading past the opened gate. The others followed suit and caught eye of Vriska, Terezi, and Nepeta.

Vriska was quite a sight to look at in a two-piece and it surely was more than enough to completely entrance John, but the others paused to look at Nepeta.

“She…” Jade muttered, blinking. “But… She’s so tiny! How are they so large in comparison?”

Rose blushed. “I… suppose we never noticed. She usually wears clothing that is a bit too large, after all.”

Nepeta waved joyfully, oblivious to the surprise over her size. Terezi turned around and waved in the general direction of the group. She was smaller than Vriska and Nepeta, falling around the average side.

“Took you guys long enough. We invited the others from our dorm here but only a few showed up.” Vriska mentioned, tilting her head to the pool. John was able to recognize Aradia and Feferi, already in the main pool. Splashing and grunts of exertion were heard from the Olympic-style pool; Equius had found his happy place. 

Jade blushed as she saw Aradia and Feferi, who out-sized the others even further (especially in Aradia’s case). She didn’t even think herself to be the type to develop breast envy, but there she was, trying not to ogle.

“Well, how could we say no?” John asked, grinning as he tossed away his shirt. Dave shook his head; John practically lacked muscles, and would probably fly away if the wind blew too hard. Still, Vriska giggled at the sight and nodded to the pool.

“Well… Guess I better take this off.” Jade muttered, looking down at her shirt.

“YES. YES YOU’D BETTER.” Dave screamed internally in his mind. Externally he merely nodded.

Slightly blushing, Jade worked her shirt up, tossing it aside onto a nearby chair. Under her shirt she wore a black-and-white bikini top, with a skirt-bikini bottom. It wasn’t revealing, per se, but it was enough to make Dave go red in the face.

Jane and Roxy likewise ditched their shirts, revealing themselves to be on the bigger side as well. It was a good day to be Dave and John, yet a dangerous day to not be single.

As they were distracted, John and Dave were pushed into the pool by Vriska and Jade, respectively. The rest, except for Nepeta and Rose, followed suit and hopped in as well. Nepeta, on the other hand, walked to the shallow end of the pool and carefully descended the ladder into the more shallow part of the pool.

“What’s her deal?” Dave asked as he came up for air and rubbed some of the water off his shades.

“Can’t swim.” Vriska replied. “She’ll stick around the shallow part though, so it’s okay.”

Nepeta waded forward until she was a little less than shoulder-deep; since she was rather short, this wasn’t very far. Still, Jane and Roxy waded over to keep her company; they seemed more comfortable with relaxing in the water than swimming around anyway.

Rose sat on her chair, watching the others from beneath the shade of an umbrella.

“Rose? Aren’t you coming in?” Jade asked.

Rose shrugged. “Perhaps later.”

“But the water feels so nice! Come on, take your shirt off, hop in!” Jade pleaded.

Rose blushed a little, shaking her head. “Maybe later, Jade. For now, I’m fine right here.”

“Suit yourself, I guess.” Jade conceded, diving underwater.

__________

After about 2 hours in the pool, Dave decided to get out for a spell and rest. Rose had indeed finally got into the pool, but she kept her black shirt on.

Feferi got out after Dave, heading over to the lifeguard tower and speaking to the boy sitting on top of it. “Eridan, isn’t your shift over yet?” she asked.

The lifeguard, apparently named Eridan, shook his head. “Not yet, Fef. Not for another hour.”

“I wish you could take off for a bit. You need to have some fun with your friends too.” 

Eridan raised an eyebrow. “I still don’t really care much for the rabble you call your friends, Fef.”

“They’re not rabble, Eridan. If you’d hang out with them more often, you’d know that.” Feferi replied, placing her hands on her hips. “Don’t be so mean.”

“I’m not being mean.” Eridan protested. “I’m just keeping an eye out for you. That’s all.”

“Yes, I know. That’s all it ever is.” Feferi muttered, sighing. Eridan opened his mouth to retort, but discovered his common sense just in time and silenced himself. With an audible groan, Feferi turned away and walked back to her chair. 

Dave turned his head as she walked back. “Tough shit, huh?” he asked.

Feferi looked up. “Huh? Oh, yeah. He means well, but he can be a bit a jerk sometimes. You’re Dave, right? We didn’t really talk today, but you’re the one who’s been hanging out with Vriska and Terezi, yeah?”

“Yeah, that’s me. Dave Strider. Maestro of all that is ill and droppable.” Dave replied, nodding in greeting.

“Feferi Peixes.” She replied, smiling. “Sorry, you’re really not seeing us at our best right now.”

“Overbearing boyfriend?” Dave asked.

“Who, Eridan? Oh glub, no!” Feferi responded, sounding almost insulted. “No, no, not Eridan. He’s just… especially protective of me. Like I said, he means well.”  
“Ah. Well, never hurts to tell him to fuck off if he gets too much on your shit.” 

“Nah, he knows when to back off.” Feferi clarified, wrapping her towel around herself to dry off. “Thanks for being concerned, though. If Vris can put up with you, you must not be so bad.”

“Uh… thanks?” Dave muttered, wondering if that was a compliment or not.

“Well… I’m feeling worn out, so I think I’m gonna head out. Tell everyone bye for me.”

“Yeah, will do.” Dave assured. “Take it easy.”

Fef waved and took off. Once she was out of sight, Dave braced himself for the social link announcement which he had come to expect.

"I am thou.

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Empress Arcana.”

The card that appeared in Dave’s mind was an odd, almost abstract-looking image of a figure with a crown over its’ head. The card was numbered III. He would have to ask Rose about what the card meant and what the picture on it was.

The card disappeared and Dave’s focus returned. Jade hopped out of the pool and walked over to him, grabbing a towel as he approached.

“This was fun!” Jade exclaimed happily. “I don’t come here often. This was a nice break.”

“It’s a good thing we came before fall really starts, I guess.” Dave agreed.

“It’s okay though. Winter will be here before you know it!”

Dave nodded with a smile. Winter was definitely one of the better parts of the year. “Yeah, and Christmas. Can’t wait for a Christmas where I don’t get a puppet.”

Jade giggled. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you something nice. I promise. Plus, our birthdays are around that time too!”

“Oh shit, that’s right.” Dave said. “I forget sometimes that our birthdays are so close together.”

“And I’m older!” Jade proclaimed, grinning. 

“Yeah, by two days. Let’s just call it even, Har.”

“Awww, you’re just jealous. Look at it this way; you can tell people you’re seeing an older woman.” 

“True. The internet must know.” Dave agreed.

“Does this mean I can be on your blog now?”

Dave put his hand to his chin, as to look like he was internally debating. “Hmmm…”

“Please?”

“Hmm…”

“Pleeeeeeeeease?”

Dave chuckled and let his hand down. “Yeah, of course you can. My blog is your blog.”

“Woo!” Jade exclaimed excitedly. “Now I can be internet famous too!”

“You could have asked me to make you internet famous years ago.” Dave said. “I could have done it easy.”

“Nah, it’s more fun this way. ‘Sides, I’d prefer not to be a guest star in a Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff issue.”

“Hey, don’t hate. To be a guest star in my epic tale is an honor. I should draw you in just to spite you now.”

“You meanie.” Jade replied, sticking her tongue out. Dave rolled his eyes and she kissed his cheek. “Picture for the blog, then?”

“Yeah.” Dave agreed, pulling his phone from his backpack that had been kept away from the pool to avoid anything inside getting wet. Jade sat next to him and smiled as he snapped a quick picture.

“Woo!” Jade said, smiling. “Show me when it’s up, alright?”

“Will do.” Dave replied, typing up an entry as they spoke. “You think they’re ready to go?”

“Probably not. Aradia found a beach ball, they’ll probably be in there for a while. I’m kinda tired though.”

“Feel like walking back?”

“I guess so.” Jade said, nodding. “I could really use a scooter.”

Dave looked over to the pool. “Egbert, Rose! See you back at the dorm.”

John turned to wave goodbye, but was smacked in the face by the beach ball. Rose waved to the two of them from the shallow side along with Nepeta. 

Once all their things were gathered, Dave and Jade began the walk to the dorm to rest for the evening.

__________

That night, Eridan returned to the dorm before the rest of the exchange students. The house was silent; he knew that at least Karkat was home, but he normally kept to himself now that his best friend was gone and Terezi started hanging out with the others. It was quiet, as was normal, but something put Eridan on edge.

With a sigh, Eridan ascended the stairs to the third floor and went to the third door on the left. After taking a deep breath, he tapped his knuckles on the door.

“Fef? It’s Eridan… I wanted to apologize.”

He heard no response.

“Fef? You there?”

Once again, he heard no response. This was odd, as Feferi normally at least told him she wanted to be alone. Either she was somewhere else; which he doubted; or she was asleep. 

Sleeping at 8 PM? Probably not. The odd feeling that Eridan had nagged at him even worse now, so he slowly turned the knob of the door and peeked into the room.

Feferi laid on the ground as if she had fallen out of her computer desk’s chair. Her computer was off, and the lights in the room were off as well.

“Fef!” Eridan shouted, running over and tapping her. She was breathing, but not responding. It was the same thing he remembered Vriska talking about; falling into a coma.

What did Vriska know?

Feferi showed no signs of being attacked, no signs of illness. It looked like she had simply fallen out of her chair and passed out.  
Eridan tried to wake her again, and after several unsuccessful attempts, Eridan pulled out his phone and dialed Vriska.

“Vris, we need to talk.”


	20. Deep Diving

Dave awoke the next morning at 7 AM, which was way too early for a Sunday in his mind. Nothing had woken him up; not John banging at his door, not an incorrectly set alarm clock, not even birds chirping outside his window. Dave simply sat up, removed his shades, and rubbed his eyes while pondering whether or not he should go to sleep.

A few minutes later his phone ringed with the sound of a record scratch, indicating a text message. Dave grabbed his phone and checked it to see a text from John.

“downstairs asap!”

Maybe he had some kind of weird sleep premonition that woke him up before the text. Regardless, he was awake, and something was going on. Had Gamzee gotten someone else so early?

Dave descended the stairs and found his suspicions confirmed by the sight of Vriska standing in the middle of the lounge with her laptop under he arm. What was unusual, however, was the fact that Eridan was standing behind her.

“What’s up, Ampora?” Dave asked, strolling to his seat next to a sleepy Jade. 

Vriska shook her head. “Long story short, he figured us out.”

“What?” Dave exclaimed, his demeanor changing from that of a calm façade to that of alarm. Hadn’t they been rather secretive with what they had been doing?

“It wasn’t hard, really.” Eridan argued, rather pompously. “People in our dormitory were falling into comas. First with Vriska, then Terezi, then Equius and Nepeta. Each time they woke up in at least a day. “Just a long nap” or “Some kinda virus”, they say. And once they’re back on their feet, they start coming here to your dorm. Just to hang out. I was able to piece together a few things, and it was obvious that you all had something to do with it.”

Dave hung his head. So much for their super-covert rescues, huh?

“Anyway, Fef’s in trouble. Vriska told me everything about the world in the computer.” Eridan continued.

“You believe all of that?” Rose asked.

“I’m willing to believe it if I can go in and see it with my own eyes. I want to help Fef. I want to go in with you.”

Dave stood up. “You do realize what happens if you do, right? You’ll go straight into a coma like Fef did. We’ll have to save you on top of saving Feferi.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Eridan proclaimed. “Vriska told me everything. You’re going to save Fef and knowing her, she’ll want to take part in this foolish crusade of yours as well. I’m not letting her unless I’m there so I know she’ll be safe. I’m going in.”

Rose crossed her arms. “We’ll have to split up.”

“Split up?” Dave asked. “Why not just do them one at a time?”

“Truth be told, some of us could use the practice, Dave.” Rose answered. “I know it’s a little odd to say that about such an important task, but... A separate rescue mission would give the others experience in battle while we’re off finding Feferi.”

“Are you totally sure?” Dave asked.

“Gamzee may threaten to anyone in at any time. We’ve seen in Equius and Nepeta’s cases that two people can be put in at once. We should be prepared to split up like this should the unlikely arise.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Dave muttered, still surprised to hear such from Rose. “Alright Eridan, you’re in. It’ll be us rescuing Feferi though.”

Eridan nodded. “I know. Don’t screw that up.”

__

Full attendance was achieved in preparation for the double-rescue mission. Eridan was the first to enter the code, and subsequently fainted. 

“I suppose they’ve both had the dream already. Perhaps we should’ve asked?” Rose commented. 

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Dirk responded, looking to Dave who gave a nod. 

Upon entering Asphodel, the group found that the mysterious arcade had once again expanded in size, now housing two more doors. Feferi’s door was labeled ‘Aquarium of Separation’, whilst Eridan’s was labeled ‘Palace of Authority’. Also of note was the fact that Vriska, Terezi, Nepeta and Equius were all grey-skinned with horns, as seemed to be the normfor the exchange students.

Dave approached Feferi’s door and looked back at the group. “Jade, Jane, Equius, Nepeta, and Terezi, come with me to get Feferi. Rose, you take John, Vriska, Dirk, Jake and Roxy to go grab Eridan.”

Rose nodded. Dave figured that he might as well send John and Vriska with her; she was going to have to get used to them sooner or later. Making them work together might be a good idea. 

Once everyone was properly divided into even teams, Dave led his team through Feferi’s door while Rose’s team stepped through Eridan’s door.

__

Dave’s vision came into focus after the blinding light that accompanied entering the door. When he was able to look around, he saw something quite odd; they were underwater. 

He didn’t feel like he was swimming at all; in fact, he felt completely normal, as if he were standing on completely dry ground. It was completely apparent that they were underwater in a sense, however. The surface of the water could be seen above, and fish swam around them in schools. It was a truly beautiful scene, and the fantasy of it all was only broken by the aquarium tank wall that was seen to the side of them.

“So… we’re inside an aquarium tank.” Dave guessed, checking around. 

“It would appear so.” Equius agreed, tapping on the glass. “It’s very strong. And I cannot see out of it. Only a monotone shade of blue.”

Jade gasped as a cuttlefish swam by, changing colors in a vibrant spectrum. “It’s too bad this place is full of shadows. At least, it should be full of them. Where are they?”

“I guess we’ll find out once we go further in.” Dave guessed, turning away from the aquarium glass. 

__

Rose was surprised by the appearance of the palace that reflected Eridan’s inner thoughts; it appeared as a once-grand castle, decorated with gold and beautiful tapestries (including vivid, painted portraits of Eridan in garb befitting an Emperor). However, the castle looked as if it had just been the recipient of an attack, or as if it had been abandoned for a very long time. Tapestries hung crooked on the wall, some of them bearing rather offensive graffiti messages on their faces. The pillars that had once decorated the ends of staircases were shattered and laying in pieces.

“I wonder what happened to this place.” John asked, taking a step forward. The castle was eerily silent, and John’s step cracked a piece of already-broken glass, sending a sound echoing throughout the halls of the palace.

“Nothing happened to it, technically.” Rose answered. “This is its’ original state, as created by Eridan’s mind. We will find out more as we progress and find Eridan, I’m certain.”

Vris took a step forward as well, keeping clear of the debris. “There’s got to be shadows waiting in ambush here.”

“Yeah.” Dirk agreed, drawing his blade and summoning Ozymandias. “Rose, you taking the lead?”

Rose nodded, taking hold of her blade-needles and summoning Iris.

__

The peace and serenity of the aquarium world soon faded when a dolphin-shaped shadow broke free of swimming with other fish and dove towards the group, colliding with Dave.

Nepeta gasped and tightened her fists, summoning two deadly-looking claws. Equius did the same, but no weapon came into being. Jade immediately summoned Hypnos and helped Dave to his feet, getting ready for the swarm of dolphin-shadows.

Jane brought Hera into view, and Dave looked at it since he had never seen Jane’s Persona before. Hera wore a gown that seemed to be textured like the night sky, with stars being visible upon it. She looked almost ethereal, and her flowing hair glowed softly with a purple light. Her skin was a pale shade of blue. The Persona looked especially beautiful in the serene aquarium setting.

Dave leapt forward and slashed at one of the shadows, which swam away and easily avoided his attack. Left open, he barely avoided another swooping shadow. With their ability to swim while the Persona-users were confined to the ground, the dolphin-shadows held the advantage.

Jade knelt and took aim with her rifle, firing off bursts while Hypnos threw blocks of ice, doing significant damage to a single member of the swarm.

Seeing that Dave’s approach of pure offense was of no use, Equius stood his ground as a dolphin-shadow swooped at him. The dolphin collided with him, but he did not recoil; instead he embraced the shadow in a bear-hug. Once the shadow was restrained enough, Equius brought his grip to the shadow’s tail and slammed it on the ground, stunning it long enough for Equius to finish it off with a curb-stomp.

Nepeta summoned her Persona; an action that was imparted to her by her subconscious; and stood ready like Equius. As the dolphin shadows attempted to ram her, Nepeta and Eros dodged out of the way and struck the shadows when they drew close.

Seeing their success, Dave adopted the same technique and stood defensively, slicing at any shadows that drew near. Terezi drew her cane-sword and was able to do the same, with frightening accuracy for a blind girl.

Their main method of attack useless and a majority of their force killed, the few remaining shadows fled the site of the battle, leaving the Persona users to revel in their victory.

Dave hummed a victory tune as he loosened his grip on his katana. “Alright, let’s go save Fef before Eridan has an aneurysm.” 

Jade rolled her eyes. “He’s just being protective, that’s all. Too protective, maybe, but still.”

“Eridan’s a little weird.” Nepeta said as she walked alongside the others. “He treats a lot of us like we’re beneath him. But I think he’d be lonely without someone to treat like that.”

“He puts Feferi on a pedestal, however.” Equius added. “He grew apart from us very early on after we arrived here, but always stayed close to her.”

“What was it like to arrive here with no memory?” Jane asked, immediately putting darkened expressions on the faces of the exchange students.

Nepeta answered after a long silence. “We don’t talk about it much. The first thing any of us remember is waking up under a bridge. We knew our names, and we knew about each other, but that was about it.” 

“We were brought to immigration and had to go through the process of becoming citizens despite the fact that we had no recollection of where we came from.” Equius continued. “Soon after we were naturalized, we received a letter from a mysterious benefactor that informed us that we had each received a completely-paid off tuition to Sassacre Academy. To this day, we do not know who it was.”

“We tried asking about it, but we couldn’t trace who sent the letter.” Terezi answered. “So we just decided to go with the letter and attend school. We got the hang of it pretty soon and got to know each other and what we were good at. We really only had each other from the beginning, so… being friends with you guys is actually a pretty big deal for some of us.”

“I can’t imagine having to go through all that.” Jade sighed, frowning. “I’m sorry, guys. If I would have known what you had to deal with, I would have tried to make friends sooner.”

“I doubt you would have made much progress. We were very reliant on each other and quite isolated from others. It took a catastrophe such as this computer world threat to bring us to interact with others.” Equius clarified.

“That’s a shame. But at least it happened at all!” Jane piped up, using her oversized fork-weapon as a sort of walking stick. 

Nepeta nodded. “I think so too!”

Dave was about to comment as well when they reached a reef, which had a small opening through the center. Slight, muffled sobs could be heard from within. “This must be the place.” Dave stated, heading inside.

__ 

The silence in the palace was shattered (literally) by a shadow breaking through a glass door. The shadow came into view, and the kids were rather shocked at the appearance; the shadow seemed to be two headless bodies dressed as a man and a woman, locked in a dance and holding a deadly-looking rapier in its’ hands. Above the two bodies floated a spinning heart which bore the signature mask of the shadows.

Several more of the shadows danced into view. Ozymandias flew in front of the group as they all called upon their Personas. With a flash of magical energy, Ozymandias raised the defense of the entire party in preparation for the battle.

Their odd movements made the shadows quite difficult to predict, but an attack had to be made, and Roxy led the charge with a shot from her rifle. 

Odysseus lunged forward with his fishing spear, but was impeded by a rapier raised to block the strike. Despite their flimsy appearances, the rapiers that were held by the shadows were quite strong.

“I wouldn’t try a melee approach in this case.” Rose suggested, summoning bolts of lightning to hurl at the shadows. Damage was minimal, but it was still damage done.

John went next, sending a gust of wind tearing through the palace. Wind was the right choice, and the shadows fell to the floor. 

”Woo! Up and at ‘em!” Vriska shouted as she rushed forward. John and Roxy followed to get in close range to do as much damage as possible, and Rose, Jake, and Dirk followed immediately after.

One massive beatdown later, the shadows were no more. 

“Alright! Nice and easy.” Vriska mused, hopping through the broken glass door. “Looks like a big door. Eridan’s probably in there.”

“Typical.” Rose commented as she saw the door. “It’s as if it’s an invitation for us to waltz in and interrupt the shadow’s berating.”

”Adds more support to your cultivating theory, I guess.” Dirk guessed. “Let’s go.”

__

Dave led the group into the grotto, spotting Feferi sitting against the rock. As expected, Feferi was grey skinned and had two horns, which pointed outwards from each other.

“Hey, Fef. We’re here to get you out.” Dave announced.

Feferi looked up, surprised and frightened. “But… She…”

“I think I can speak for myself.” Called a voice. Shadow Feferi descended from the opening in the ceiling of the grotto, floating above the ground in front of the group. She seemed to be bound by the rules of water like the fish and dolphin shadows.

“And here’s the bitch of the hour.” Dave muttered. 

“Bitch? Ha! In all the wrong ways.” Shadow Fef retorted. “I can tell you all about her. Sweet, caring Feferi. On everyone’s side, to the point where she gets walked all over!” 

Feferi shuddered, curling up as if trying to block out her shadow’s words.

“But her bitchy side, oh yes. It slips out every once in a while. The occasional out-of-place insult, backhanded compliments, that stuff.”

Blinking, Feferi shook her head. “I try to stop… I don’t really mean it.”

“She’s fed up with everyone’s bullshit. She wants to forge her own way of thinking where she doesn’t have to freak out about what other people think. Especially that idiot, Eridan.”

Dave crossed his arms. There was no point in suggesting an attack to stop the shadow. For all they knew, it might not even be possible to do so until the shadow was officially denied by its original self.

“Controlling. Overbearing. Egotistical Eridan…”

__

“She never says any of those things, but you know she thinks it.” Shadow Eridan said, walking around the trashed throne room in a fancy, dignified manner. The real Eridan grumbled from within a cage on the other side of the room; it was knocked over, but still shut tight. 

“You want to ‘protect’ her? Foolish excuses. You fantasize of being her knight in shining armor. You love her more than she could know, but you’ve already gone and screwed up any chance you had. So you just try to be as controlling as you can over her. You’re the only one that should be around her. No one else deserves someone as exquisite, as beautiful, as unique as Feferi…”

“I gave up a long time ago!” Retorted the real Eridan. “I want to protect her. The world’s a harsh place…”

“And you’re a harsh taskmaster!” Shadow Eridan continued, throwing his hand up in the air for dramatic emphasis. “You cannot deny all that I’ve said. After all…”

__

“I am you.” Shadow Feferi concluded, cackling. 

Feferi shook her head defiantly. “No! No, you’re not! I don’t think of anyone like that, especially not Eridan! He’s just trying to look out for me. You’d know that, if you really were me!”

“Alright, show-time.” Dave said quietly, cracking his neck and getting ready for the inevitable transformation and subsequent confrontation.

Equius cracked his knuckles as Shadow Feferi cackled louder and became engulfed in the reddish-black smoke. A surge of energy erupted forth as her transformation progressed, pushing those around her back.

Dave regained his foothold and looked up at Shadow Feferi, who now had the appearance of a woman run ragged, standing nearly to the ceiling of the grotto. She held a double-sided fork, akin to the type used to tend to fireplaces. She resembled Feferi, save for the fact that she looked much older and worn-out. She wore a long, ragged dress that was adorned with studded metal belts and chains that bound her to the ground.

“I am a shadow, the true self!” she shouted in a voice that held strength that her physical appearance did not. “Selflessness erodes the self until all that is left is an empty shell. It’s time I began fending for myself! Starting with you…”

“Bring it on!” Dave shouted, calling upon his newly established Empress Arcana. “Alliat!”

Dave’s Persona took on the form of a floating stone obelisk, shaped like a rectangle with pointed ends instead of flat ones, and adorned with glowing red tracings.

“Whoa. Cool.” Dave muttered, grinning.

The others brought their Personas forth as well. Terezi immediately tried to scan Shadow Feferi. “It’s like last time. Too strong for me to get a reading!”

“That’s fine. We’ll take care of this the old fashioned way!” Jade proclaimed, reloading her gun. 

“Of course!” Equius agreed, approaching Shadow Feferi alongside Heracles.

Shadow Feferi was the first to act, lifting her fork and twirling it. The fork took on a sickly, purple glow. Equius and Heracles both brought their arms up to defend themselves, but Shadow Feferi still struck Heracles.

The strike didn’t seem to do much damage, but Heracles and Equius both took on the same purple glow that had once been on Shadow Feferi’s fork. 

“She poisoned them!” Terezi shouted. “Jade, you can do something about that, can’t you?”

“I think so!” Jade replied, concentrating to cast the Amrita spell. 

“Hold it!” Shadow Feferi shouted, twirling her fork once again. The fork took on a green glow this time, and since Jade wasn’t within melee range, Shadow Feferi simply swung her fork and let loose a green shockwave that struck Jade’s Persona, causing it to fade away and making Jade glow green.

“She sealed away Jade’s Persona!” Terezi elaborated. “Don’t let her hit you with that fork!”

Equius, weighed down by the poison, still kept up his advance and struck Shadow Feferi alongside Heracles. Angrily, Shadow Feferi tugged at the chain that bound her left arm, extending it out of the ground. Equius’ blows were stopped by the chain, while Heracles was able to land a blow. 

“Away with you!” Shadow Feferi shouted, sending another shockwave, this time an orange colored one that homed in on Jane.

Jane gasped and ducked, smirking as the shockwave passed over her head. In her moment of confidence, she failed to notice the shockwave making a U-turn in mid-air (or mid-water, as it were) and coming back to strike her.

“Confusion! Watch out for Jane, she’s not herself right now!” Terezi exclaimed. 

True to Terezi’s words, Jane moved erratically and swung her large fork at Nepeta, who barely stepped out of the way in time.

“This is going to hell fast.” Dave muttered, taking his turn to leap at Shadow Feferi alongside Alliat. Dave’s blade was stopped by Shadow Fef’s chain, but a lightning strike from Alliat hit home and slightly damaged Shadow Feferi.

Angered, Shadow Feferi roared and sent Dave and Equius away with an energy shockwave, causing both of them to glow a dull blue.

“Exhaustion.” Terezi muttered. “Try not to exert yourself!”

“What the fuck are we supposed to do, then?” Dave angrily shouted, struggling to get to his feet. “She keeps messing with us like this.”

“Well, maybe two can play at this game!” Nepeta said confidently, approaching Shadow Feferi alongside Eros.

“Very well! You will be next!” Shadow Fef threatened, swinging her fork and unleashing a silencing shockwave.

Nepeta braced herself, and Eros flew in front of her. Instead of taking the brunt of the attack, the shockwave simply bounced away and flew right at Shadow Feferi. 

Shadow Feferi gasped and was hit by the shockwave, turning the same color of green as Jade. 

“That should keep her from doing the fork thing for a little while!” Nepeta exclaimed proudly.

“How did you do that?” Dave asked, looking at her. 

“I don’t really know. It’s just like any Purrsona thing. I just know it happens.” Nepeta answered.

Terezi nodded. “Her Persona is immune to status effects like that! Let Nepeta take the lead!”

“Be my guest!” Dave agreed, still feeling the effects of exhaustion as he tried to keep himself on his feet.

With a nod, Nepeta sprung forward, leaping into the air. Eros flew under her and served as a platform that Nepeta landed on. After a moment of preparation, Nepeta sprung off of Eros and launched herself at Shadow Feferi’s face, latching herself on with one of her claws and ferociously slashing with the other.

Equius brought himself to his feet despite the exhaustion effect and made his way to the chain holding Shadow Feferi’s left arm. With Heracles’ help and some muscle straining, Equius took hold of the chain and pulled it down to the ground, bringing Shadow Feferi’s arm with it. 

Shadow Feferi tried to raise her arm from Equius’ grasp, but was entirely too distracted by Nepeta’s onslaught to do so. Instead she attempted to swing her fork, but was unable to get Nepeta without nearly slashing herself in turn. 

Dave fought the exhaustion and sent more bolts of lightning via Alliat, adding to the barrage. 

Shadow Feferi screamed and shouted in protest, her shrieks lowering in volume until finally a harsh strike from Nepeta silenced her for good. Nepeta leaped off and stuck the landing as Shadow Feferi dissipated into smoke.

__

“You don’t know anything about how I feel! You’re not me!” Eridan shouted as his shadow, gripping the bars of the cage.

Shadow Eridan shook his head with a grin as the smoke began to gather around his feet.

“Everyone be ready!” Rose warned as she readied herself and her Persona. The others did the same, and Dirk had Ozymandias take a defensive position in front of the team.

The smoke engulfed Shadow Eridan and grew larger as he transformed, and when the smoke cleared, his true form came into view.

Shadow Eridan stood at approximately eight feet, draped in elaborate, kingly furs. On his head rested a crown resembling the one worn by the Statue of Liberty, and in his hand he held a golden trident. His face remained largely the same, but his hair was significantly longer.

“I am a Shadow, the true self!” he shouted. “The weaker the man, the stronger his insistence that his presence be acknowledged! Let us see how far you will go to stop me!”

“Yes, let’s.” Rose agreed.

Dirk started the fight by once again reinforcing the group’s defense, then nodding to Jake. Jake nodded in return and performed a similar spell, strengthening the group’s offense.

Shadow Eridan began by hurling a ball of fire at the group. The blast, being Dirk’s weakness, threw Dirk away and harmed the others.

Vriska recovered and lobbed a few of her dice, erupting into an electrical explosion. Though not his weakness, Shadow Eridan backed away a little from the attack.

“I wish we had Terezi with us.” Jake muttered. 

“No, she wouldn’t be able to assist us right now anyway.” Rose interjected. “Against strong shadows such as this, her powers are no longer usable.”

“Bugger.” Jake said. “Well, we’ll have to make do on our own. Tally ho!” he shouted, rushing forward with Odysseus. 

Shadow Eridan was struck by Jake’s attack and was pushed back, farther than when Vriska attacked him. 

“Physical attacks seem to be the way to go, then.” Rose deduced. “Don’t waste your time with magic!”

With a nod, John rushed forward with his hammer and swung down on Shadow Eridan’s foot, doing further damage but not knocking him any farther away.

Once recovered, Shadow Eridan angrily produced another fireball and hurled it at the group, this time doing far greater damage to the team but missing Dirk.

Rose groaned, thankful that Dirk had previously reinforced their defenses. “That was much more forceful than the last…”

“Anger is an efficient power source, you know!” Shadow Eridan taunted. “I would avoid trying to piss me off.”

“Is he saying his power increases as he’s hurt?” Vriska guessed. “Well, shit.”

“We will just have to prepare ourselves before he attacks again.” Rose assumed. “If what he says is true, we will need to defeat him quickly. I doubt we can stand more powerful attacks each time.” 

“You got it!” John answered, advancing forward with Jake. Together the two rushed Shadow Eridan, their Personas flying forward like battering rams. 

Shadow Eridan sliced Perseus out of the air, knocking John away in the process, but was unable to stop Odysseus and Jake’s guns, being knocked down as well. 

“Quickly, attack!” Rose shouted, rushing forward despite the fact that melee combat was not her forte.

Roxy nodded and hopped upon a piece of rubble for a better place to fire from without harming any of the others, while Dirk and Vriska rushed forward with the others.

Shadow Eridan attempted to get up as the Persona-users hacked away at him, but their constant assault showed that he wouldn’t be able to just simply get up. With a roar, Shadow Eridan began charging a fireball from the ground.

“Up, get up!” Dirk told the others as he got up and got ready to defend himself. The others followed suit, raising their guards up. 

“Take this!” Shadow Eridan shouted, causing the fireball to erupt in his hands. The explosion encompassed most of the room, hitting everyone in the room with great force and heat. Despite his defensive stance, Dirk collapsed in the face of the fire, as did John and Jake.

Rose fell to her knees after the explosion subsided, feeling severely weakened. She wished Dave had left Jade or Jane, or anyone specialized in healing. 

Roxy rose to her feet and used a healing spell to slightly cure herself, Rose, and Vriska. The boys remained unconscious. 

Shadow Eridan struggled to his feet, grinning despite the violet blood running down his face. “Told you… not to piss me off. Now it’s over!”

In alarm, Vriska tossed her dice. “Luck, don’t fail me now!”

The dice began to glow as they flew towards Shadow Eridan, and erupted into a bright, purple explosion as they made contact with him. Though it didn’t finish him outright, it did send him to his knees and interrupted his next attack.

Not wanting to ask questions then shoot later, Roxy knelt and took aim, firing her assault rifle and riddling Shadow Eridan full of holes. With a surprised look on his face, Shadow Eridan fell backwards and faded into smoke, leaving his original form behind. 

__

Feferi rose as her Shadow returned to normal. “Is… is it all over?”

“It will be when you accept your shadow self as a part of who you are.” Equius answered. “We will explain in due time.”

Though obviously confused, Feferi nodded and looked at her shadow. “I… I guess I’ve been lying to myself. It’s getting exhausting, looking after everyone’s well-being. I really don’t mind it, but… maybe I’ve been going too far out of my own way and not looking out for myself. I… just have to find a balance, that’s all. I promise I’ll strive towards that. Alright, me?”

Shadow Feferi’s blank expression gave way to a smile and a nod before she faded away into a Persona; Feferi’s Persona appeared as a middle-aged woman draped in plain linens, holding a fire iron. Her skin was a pale purple, and her hair was a bright, shimmering gold. 

“Hestia.” Feferi muttered as her Persona faded away, giving way to the tarot card of the Empress.

__

Eridan’s cage faded as his shadow was defeated, and he rose to walk over to it. 

“This is what we were talking about earlier.” Vriska clarified. “A test, I guess. You have to accept your shortcomings or else it’ll just attack again.”

“Accept what he said? Never!” Eridan protested.

Vriska sneered and slapped Eridan in the face. “Don’t be an idiot! Everything he said was absolutely and completely true. Trust us, we know. This happened to us too. You want to protect Feferi? Then acknowledge what he said as truth. Use it to better yourself. Quit being a little bitch and running away.”

Eridan rubbed his sore cheek, his brow furrowed at Vriska. 

Rose crossed her arms. “Never thought I’d say this… but I agree. Eridan, our shadows are witnesses to our deepest, darkest secrets. Everything yours said is true, even if you yourself don’t believe it.”

Eridan looked like he was at a loss. “I…”

Vriska raised her hand again, with a look on her face that said “Do it or else.”

Sighing, Eridan turned to his shadow. “Umm… I’m not exactly sure how to start. Maybe you did have a point… Maybe I am taking my protection of Feferi a little too far. But… that doesn’t change how I feel. I’m going to stay by her and keep watch. I will have to be more lenient or else she will resent me for it, but... I won’t leave her side. You’ve got that? You are me, I suppose.”

Shadow Eridan shrugged and faded away, a Persona taking his place. Eridan’s Persona was the classical depiction of King Neptune; a white-bearded merman wearing a golden crown and carrying a trident.

“Poseidon.” Eridan called out. Poseidon nodded and faded into a card; Rose recognized it as the card of the Emperor Arcana. 

Eridan fell to his knees once his ordeal was over, while Dirk, John, and Jake came to and got to their feet. Vriska and Roxy got on each side of Eridan and helped him through the exit door, as the others followed right behind them.

__

Dave awoke soon after his team helped Feferi through her door. Eridan shot up a few seconds later, followed by Vriska, Terezi, and then everyone else.

“I need to go back and talk to her.” Eridan announced, making his way to the door. 

“Eridan, hang on!” Vriska called, helping Terezi up and holding her hand so she wouldn’t have to make use of her cane to see. “Wait for us!” 

John waved to Vriska, feeling a little left out.

“You’re welcome!” Dave called out sarcastically as they left. “Wow, talk about hasty.”

“He’s just worried.” Jade guessed. “It’s rough, going through that. I wonder what his shadow was like.”

“Nothing surprising.” Rose answered. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

__

Vriska and Terezi tailed Eridan back to their dorm. As they approached, they saw Feferi step out from the front door, stopping as she saw Eridan.

“Fef…” Eridan started, stopping just short of her. “I went in with them. I went through the same thing you just did.”

“You did? Gamzee got you too?” Feferi asked. “I have no clue what’s going on…”

“Dammit, I knew it was him that got her.” Vriska muttered. 

“It’s a lot to explain, Fef. I… need to apologize before we explain any of it, though.”

“Apologize?”

“Yeah.” Eridan said, looking down. “I… may have been a bit too adamant and protective of you, and… that’s not right. I shouldn’t be so overbearing and controlling when you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself.”

Vriska nodded. It was clear that despite his protests in the computer world, his shadow’s words really got to him; perhaps progressively moreso now that he had time to think about it all.

Feferi shook her head. “I know you were just doing what you thought was necessary. I think we both went out of our way to help people we care about. Just… if you can ease off a bit… I won’t mind you looking out for me.”

“It’s a deal.” Eridan replied, nodding. “I promise.”

“Good.” Feferi agreed, hugging Eridan. Eridan blushed, saying nothing. “Can we talk about what happened, then? I saw Equius and Nepeta… but what do you, Vriska, and Terezi have to do with all this?”

“It’s a lot to explain, trust me. You might want to take a seat.” Vriska answered. “Long story short, Gamzee’s gunning for us. We’re all victims of some psychological computer game thing and we’re all basically clueless save for a few things. And now you’re a part of it too. So you’re basically stuck helping us. Eridan too.”

“Say no more, I’m in.” Feferi stated. “Well… please say more, but I’m going to help. I want to stop Gamzee if he’ll go after more of us. He’s the reason why everyone went into comas, isn’t he?”

Vriska nodded.

“I’m in too.” Eridan added. “I can’t let Fef go in there… without a little backup.”

Feferi smiled at Eridan’s comment. “Tell us everything, Vriska.”

Vriska grinned. “I’ll start from the beginning.”


	21. 3x Social Link Combo!

The next day flew by as Dave awaited his chance to get back home to talk about Fef and Eridan formally joining the team. School wasn’t entertaining in the slightest (except maybe getting to mess with stuff in A/V), so getting to work out stuff concerning the computer world was a high point in his day.

Dave took his headphones off his ears and let them rest on his neck as he walked into the dorm, seeing no one but Jake.

“Ello, chap. Waiting on the others?” Jake asked. 

“Yeah.” Dave answered, closing the door behind him. “What’s up?”

“Same as you. Been sitting here for a few minutes. I’m easy, though. Can’t be arsed to get up.” Jake answered, placing his book aside. “I just wanted to say, you’ve done a jolly good job leading the team in the computer. It would be hard lines with only the four of us.”

Dave nodded in thanks to the compliment. “You four have been friends a while, huh?” 

“For most our lives, yes!” Jake replied, smiling as he recalled it all. “It’s quite silly, for the most part people like us normally wouldn’t get along. I’m a bit gobby at times, Roxy’s always on the piss, Jane gets miffed easy, and Dirk… Well, despite all that, we do get along quite well. Though it was simpler before everyone began wanting to snog each other.”

Dave tried his hardest not to question Jake’s slang. He didn’t even want to know what ‘on the piss’ meant. “You and Dirk, uh…?”

Jake blushed and nodded simply, answering Dave’s question.

“Guess Jane isn’t real happy with that.”

Jake shook his head then, once again answering Dave’s question. “You four have it easy. There’s blood between each pair, there’s no fighting over each other. Often times I just wish we had more lads and lasses in our lives that we could go spend time with outside of the group… but really, it’s always just us four. Until now, anyhow.”

“Yeah, you guys are a huge help. I don’t know what the flipping fuck you’re saying half the time, but you’re alright.” Dave said, bumping Jake’s fist. “That romantic shitstorm will probably calm down in a few days.”

“I hope you’re right.” Jake replied. “Oh, look. There are the others!”

Dave turned his head, and was slightly startled by the sound of a new social link being established.

"I am thou. 

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Tower Arcana.”

A card appeared before him, numbered ‘XVI’ and depicting a tower being struck by lightning and collapsing. The card shimmered and disappeared, leaving Dave to return to reality and greet the others.

__

“I trust Vriska filled those two in?” Rose asked as she paced in front of her whiteboard. Terezi, Feferi, and Eridan had all gone into the computer world to discern their strengths and weaknesses, and thus were unconscious at the time.

“Yeah, I did.” Vriska answered. “Why have they been out for so long?”

“I wondered that before, but I believe I’ve found a solution to that question. When we enter the world, we leave our physical selves behind, but our consciousness is still functioning in the other world. The other world does not function by our laws of physics, or time. After assessing past instances when we have entered the world, I’ve come to assume that each time a registered player enters the world, exactly an hour will have passed in the real world despite how long they spent inside.”

“And, unregistered players?” John asked.

“They remain inside indefinitely, as evidenced by those put in comas.” Rose said. “We can plan our visits accordingly this way. Entering the world at six in the morning and then being ready for school at 7 shouldn’t be an issue. This will let us save those imprisoned in the computer and still keep up with our studies.”

Dave groaned. It figured that Rose would find some way to weasel more school work on everyone. “I’d prefer late night. Just putting that out there.”

“As would I, David.” Rose answered with a smirk. ‘David’ wasn’t even his real name, but she occasionally used it as a nickname to mess with him. “I’m just explaining that it’s an option and we need not miss classes because of it. After all, we wouldn’t want the administration getting suspicious of anything, now would we?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dave replied, sitting back in his chair next to Jade.

Feferi and Eridan jolted awake, followed by Terezi, who slowly rose and stretched. “Got it.” she announced.

“Well?” Rose asked.

“Feferi’s got lots of status abilities just like her shadow. And she can take a lot of damage, too. Plus she can make like Dirk and support us.”

“So a support role, yes.” Rose confirmed, making a small note on her whiteboard. “And her elemental strengths?”

“Strong to Ice, weak to Wind.” Terezi answered. “Eridan’s spellcasting ability is off the charts. A spell name that I haven’t heard before popped in my head, too. ‘Megido’.” 

“Interesting name.” Rose said, looking up from the chalkboard. 

Vriska turned her attention from John and looked at Terezi with a confused look. “You mean like Aradia?”

“It might just be a coincidence.” Terezi said, shrugging. “Oh, and Eridan’s strong against fire and ice, but he’s weak to physical attacks. He can stay in back, his weapon is a harpoon gun.”

Jade blinked. “And you learned all that from just being in the computer world with them for a little bit?”

Terezi nodded proudly. “Yeah! I’m getting a lot better at scanning things. I guess it comes with experience.”

Rose nodded and added Eridan’s info to the whiteboard, then wrote it down in one of her many notebooks in case the info on the whiteboard was ever lost. Dave also noticed that Equius and Nepeta were added; Equius was strong against physical attacks and weak to fire, while Nepeta was strong against wind and weak to lightning.

“Good to have you guys on board!” John said, smiling at the others. 

“The more people we have around to kick Gamzee’s ass, the better.” Vriska confirmed with a nod. “We’ll have our chance soon.” 

“There are only so many of us left.” Feferi mentioned. “Tavros, Aradia, Kanaya, Sollux and Karkat haven’t been taken yet.”

“With luck, we’ll make ‘haven’t been taken yet’ to ‘weren’t taken’.” Dirk piped up, crossing his arms. 

“Yes, I agree.” Rose said with a nod. “But we’re still working according to Gamzee’s actions. Until we can effectively prevent his attacks, the only thing we can do is endeavor to rescue those he takes, to prevent any immediate danger to them.”

The others nodded. It wasn’t anything they hadn’t heard before. Either Gamzee kept on trying after failed attempts, or he was playing the group like a fiddle. Either way, they had no way to know.

Rose tucked the whiteboard away back in a storage closet and sat. “I suppose that’s enough for today, now that Feferi and Eridan are acquainted. Thank you for coming, everyone.”

The others stood up. Vriska took John’s hand, waved goodbye to everyone with a smirk on her face, and left the building, Terezi tailing them. Rose rolled her eyes.

Dave looked to Eridan. “Happy you’re in now?”

“Think what you want. It’s dangerous and absolutely nonsensical, but I want to stop that idiot Gamzee as much as the next guy.” Eridan spat back. “And if I can protect Feferi while doing that, I’ve got nothing to complain about.”

Nodding, Dave shook his hand. “I believe you, man. Just don’t go all stalwart bodyguard when the situation doesn’t call for it.”

“No promises.” Eridan replied bluntly. 

Dave nodded again. He knew where Eridan was coming from. He wouldn’t say it aloud, but everyone knew he would do just about anything to keep Jade out of harm’s way. Eridan wasn’t so different from him, at least in that respect.

Eridan turned to leave and Dave sat down, hearing the shattering sound of a new social link being formed almost immediately.

"I am thou. 

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Emperor Arcana.”

The card pictured a titular Emperor holding a scepter, and was numbered ‘IV’. Dave had seen the card before during Rose’s tarot explanations. 

The card shimmered and faded, bring Dave back into focus with the real world. Two links in one day was a record for him, at the very least. 

Jade came to sit by him after a little while. “Feeling tired?”

“Yeah, a bit.’ Dave replied, rubbing his eyes then adjusting his shades back onto his eyes. “But it isn’t real late.”

“Never hurts to go to bed early. I’ve been kinda worried about you. Don’t push yourself too hard, alright?” Jade requested. The moment she gave Dave the puppy eyes, he knew he had no choice but to agree.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll turn in after a bit.” Dave conceded, nodding. “Just in time for me to sleep in class tomorrow.”

Jade giggled and kissed his cheek. “Just don’t overwork yourself. You’re doing a great job.”

“I’m just yelling and hitting things with a sword. You could do it too if you had a sword.” Dave replied.

“You’re just saying that.” Jade mused. “Just trust me. We couldn’t do this without you! Now, off to bed, mister!”

Dave rolled his eyes and proceeded up the stairs, smiling a bit once he was out of view. 

__

Dave twirled around in his swivel chair in A/V club. The club got a small allowance to purchase software with, and he was impatiently awaiting a new mixing program’s installation.

Sollux swiveled around as well when he heard a girl’s voice call his name. Dave turned his head and recognized Aradia, who he had seen at the pool.

“I’ve got those notes you wanted.” Aradia mentioned, placing a small notebook on the desk next to Sollux. Dave noted that she smelled like dead things.

“Cool, thanks.” Sollux said, picking up the notebook and placing it in his backpack.

“Anytime!” Aradia said, turning to leave but stopping when she saw Dave. “Hi! Dave, right? You were with Vriska and the others the other day.”

“Yeah, that was me.” Dave confirmed, fighting the urge to pinch his nose.

“Ignore the smell, I’m in taxidermy.” Aradia added, blushing out of embarrassment. “It’s good you started hanging out with us. I was getting tired of the same group of people, I guess.”

“I get that.” Dave agreed. “You guys are pretty legit.”

“Thanks.” Aradia laughed. “But we’re just a bunch of weirdos, trust me. Still, it’s nice to hear that. We’ll have to hang out with you guys more often!”

“Count on it.” Dave agreed, shaking her hand. Aradia smiled and waved. “Bye, Dave. Bye, Sollux!”

Dave turned as she left, once again hearing the shattering sound that accompanied social links.

"I am thou. 

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Death Arcana.”

Dave almost raised an eyebrow at the name of the Arcana. Death? That seemed a little morbid for someone who seemed rather happy to be alive. The card materialized and showed a skull against a dull blue background, numbered XIII. 

As the card disappeared, Dave still sat a little confused about Aradia’s Arcana. 

“Dave, you alright?” John asked.

“Yeah, just one of those things.” Dave replied, shuddering a bit. John would know what he meant.

“Oh, right.” John said, saying nothing more. 

Dave and John sat in silence for a while until Dave received a text message from Jade.

“jane and roxy made cookies for everyone :) come get some before they’re all gone!”

Dave looked to John, who had received a similar text from Jade. With a mutual nod, they both got up and headed to the dorm for the evening.


	22. Into The Frying Pan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my prolonged absence, guys. I'm having trouble adapting to college, but things are getting better and I think I'm gonna be able to update more now that the rough part of the semester is older.
> 
> Writer's Block sucks. Hope you like the chapter!

Dave and John were greeted by the intoxicating aroma of cookies being pulled out of the oven, fresh for the picking. 

“Oh, good, you’re here!” Jade called, placing the first tray on the coffee table. Vriska, Terezi, Equius and Nepeta joined the others who actually lived in the dorm. “Feferi and Eridan couldn’t make it, but we decided it’d be nice to have a nice treat for everyone’s hard work. So Jane had the idea to make cookies. And Roxy helped!”

Roxy waved at Dave and John, letting out a slight hiccup. 

“Well, she didn’t burn them.” John joked, laughing as he took his seat next to Vriska, who already had a cookie in hand. 

Dave sat with Jade, grabbing a cookie as well.

“Second batch will be out in a bit! Don’t be afraid to go at these. There’s plenty for everyone.” Jane called from the walk-in kitchen.

With a shrug, Dave took a bite of the cookie, his eyes opening in surprise. The taste was absolutely sublime, yet something seemed different about it… Probably just a secret Crocker thing, Dave thought.

John, figuring that it’d be best to put aside his intense hatred of Betty Crocker as to not offend Jane and Roxy, also took a bite. “Whoa, these are great! What’d you put in these?” he asked Jane and Roxy.

Roxy shrugged. “Just what Janey told me to.”

“I’ll never tell!” Jane added, laughing. 

“I’m telling you, Egbert.” Dave said, starting on his second cookie. “It’s time to give up the whole Crocker vendetta. This shit’s off the chain. Doesn’t want anything to do with the chain. Shit’s getting a restraining order from the chain as we speak.”

John rolled his eyes, mumbled, and took another small bite of the cookie.

After his third cookie, Dave felt a little lightheaded. And he had eaten less than everyone else, having always been a slow eater.

“Woooo…” Vriska uttered, giggling. “Ah, I could eat these all day!” she proclaimed, taking a fifth cookie.

Jane finally got to sit down to sample her own cookies, taking a bite from a cookie of the third batch.

“Um…” she said, looking at the cookie. “That’s odd. Maybe I used a little too much sugar. There’s another taste in there but I can’t really place it.”

“Aw, it’ll come out diffurent each time.” Nepeta said, sitting on the floor giggling. Her face was flushed, as was pretty much everyone’s in the room.

Roxy simply munched on cookies while sitting on a recliner, acting like her usual self.

Wait. Her usual self?

Then it hit Dave.

“Oh my God, Roxy. You didn’t.” Dave muttered, looking at the batches of cookies.

Roxy turned and winked. “Didn’t do what?”

Dave rubbed the bridge of his nose. Great, now everyone in the room was cookie-tipsy. It was especially bad for John and Vriska, who had eaten the most of everyone in the room.

Equius tugged on the collar of his muscle shirt. “My, it sure is darned hot it here… Excuse my language.”

Nepeta hiccupped. “Y-yeah, you said it.”

Vriska fell into a giggle fit, squeezing John’s hand. John too started snickering, though no one knew what they were laughing at.

Rose simply stared at her third, unfinished cookie. Clearly she too understood what Dave had just realized. Without a word, she gently placed the unfinished cookie on the table then retreated to the kitchen for a glass of water or two. Or seven. 

Jade also realized what was going on. “Oh… is that why it’s so hot in here?” she asked, fanning herself. “N-not cool, Roxy…”

Jane simply rubbed her forehead, embarrassed that she let such a thing happen right under her nose.

Dirk sat next to Jake. While Jake was also red in the face and a little disturbed that he had just eaten spiked cookies, Dirk kept a straight, pale face as if the cookies didn’t even affect him. For all everyone knew, they didn’t.

Equius sighed angrily and stood, helping Nepeta up. “I am returning to my dorm for a nap.” He grumbled. Nepeta giggled and waved goodbye to everyone before following him out. 

“Great.” Dave thought, trying to keep his eyes in focus. “Now Equius is pissed.”

“Aww, lighten up!” John piped up, still snickering every once in a while with Vriska, who was tugging at his shirt sleeve for some reason.

Dave looked up at him with a face that said ‘seriously, dude’? He had to admit that it was fairy entertaining to see John acting up like this, and he strongly considered recording it.

“Feeling okay?” Dave asked Jade, turning his head to her. It was fairly amusing to see her under the effects of alcohol, but he wouldn’t dare act like he was thinking that.

“Y-yeah. I think I need water too.” Jade replied, getting up and shakingly walking over to join Rose in the kitchen.

Vriska whispered something into John’s ear, which made his face get even redder. Without a word, he stood up alongside her and went to the stairs. Dave figured he must have been the only one to see them slip away, since no one else turned their head to see.

Dave blinked. “No. Fucking. Way.” He muttered to himself, in disbelief. 

Tired of the tipsy feeling, Dave closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. 

__

Jade shook Dave awake sometime later. “Hey… you okay?” 

Dave nodded, rubbing his forehead. He didn’t know what Roxy put in those cookies, but he was lucky that he had only eaten three. “Where are the others?” he asked.

“Umm… Pretty much everyone went to take a nap. Rose has been taking a really long shower, and I’m not sure about where John’s at.”

Dave was about to say something, but remembered that Jade didn’t see John and Vriska head upstairs. “How long was I out?” 

“About two hours, maybe?” Jade said. “It’s 8 o’clock.”

Dave nodded his head. Vriska was probably out of the building at this point. John wouldn’t last two minutes, let alone two hours.

As if on cue, John walked downstairs with a stunned expression on his face. It was clear he was still a bit tipsy, but he was fully aware and in control.

Jade waved and went back to the kitchen, leaving John and Dave alone in the lounge.

Dave said nothing, trying not to laugh at John’s expression. 

After a few moments, John broke the silence.

“Dude. She has a tattoo.” He said, blushing fiercely

It physically pained Dave to hold back his laughter. “No shit. Where at?”

John simply blushed more. Dave finally gave in and cackled, holding his sides while John sat in his stunned state.

__

The next day came with headaches for most of the group, particularly John. Dave with John, Rose, and Jade to their first class, seeing Vriska and Terezi sitting on the steps outside the building. John’s face immediately went red at the sight of Vriska, though she didn’t see him with her head buried between her knees.

John waved to Terezi, and then felt like an idiot for doing so. “Hi, Terezi.” He said, amending his mistake.

“Hm? Oh, there you guys are.” Terezi called out. “We’ve got bad news.”

Dave paused. He knew exactly where she was going with this.

“Gamzee took Tavros.” Vriska said, looking up at the group. She looked like she hadn’t got a lot of sleep. Dave thought of potentially funny things to say in regards to what they did the other night, but in light of the current situation, he refrained from doing so.

“Tavros? Guy in the wheelchair, right?” Dave asked. “

“Yeah.” Vriska groaned. “Once again, I couldn’t fucking stop him. So we’ve got to go in later.”

“Roger that.” Dave confirmed. “We’ll go after school lets out. Tav will make it.”

“You got it!” Terezi answered, seeming much happier than Vriska. Dave almost felt bad for John, and hoped that Vriska was merely moody because of a hangover and not because of John’s ‘performance’, so to say.

Rose readjusted her backpack. Dave was most thankful that Rose hadn’t seen John and Vriska either. He knew she was getting better at dealing with their relationship, but something like this would probably push her right back into rock-bottom mode again.

“We’ll see you guys after, then.” Jade said, bidding them goodbye and walking to their class. Dave followed, prepared for another day of anxiously awaiting the dismissal bell. 

 

__

Dave met up with the others after school and headed to the dorm as quickly as they could. One there, they all brandished their laptops and entered the computer world via the Gateway Code. 

Upon entering, the arcade’s PA broadcasted a short message; “Player Limit Increased to 7.”

“Convenient.” Rose commented. “The more we can take in, the better. The shadows have been getting stronger progressively, I’ve noticed.”

Dave nodded, going over to Tavros’ door, which was marked as the ‘Restriction Forge’.

“What could that mean?” Jade asked.

“Dave, I’m going.” Vriska called out, ignoring Jade’s question. "I fight better when I’m annoyed. And I’ve got a hell of a headache.”

Terezi also stepped forward, standing with Vriska.

Dave nodded at the two. He couldn’t deny a volunteer. “Alright… Fef, Eridan, you’re both new, so you’re up to get a taste of the big leagues. Rose, you can come too.”

“That makes six.” Rose commented.

“Oh, right. Uh… alright, Nepeta. You kicked Shadow Fef’s ass, we could use you again.

Feferi quirked an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked. Nepeta merely giggled.

Those who weren’t grouped looked a little disappointed, but Dave hoped they understood that he couldn’t bring everyone. “We’ll be back in a bit. If we send someone back, send someone else back in.”

The others nodded, leaving the others to head through the door.

__

Dave was greeted by a cloud of smoke, like the kind produced by chimneys. The smoke caused coughing fits in the whole group as the waved the smoke away. 

The area they were in was made completely of metal; the ceiling, the walls, and the floor were all made of a dull, rusty metal. The entire place was bathed in an orange light, as if an intense flame was lit somewhere deep inside. The occasional forge full of molten metal was seen in small indentions in the walls. 

“Geez, I wonder what kind of symbolic bullshit is behind this.” Dave asked aloud.

“It’s called the ‘Restriction Forge’, yes? That must have some significance regarding Tavros’ disability.” Rose determined.

“I never got him. One moment he’s saying how being a cripple isn’t that bad, then the next he’s talking about how awful it is and how he wants to be able to walk. He’s all over the place.” Vriska said, crossing her arms. “Weird guy. Can’t wait to see how his shadow acts.”

Dave raised an eyebrow. That was surprisingly dark, even from Vriska. Maybe her bitchy side was showing today.

“Whatever the case, we’d better get going. We’ve waited a whole school day, we shouldn’t waste anymore time.” Rose shot back, stepping forward. “Weapons out.”

The group complied and summoned their weapons; Feferi held a golden, double-sided trident in her hand while Eridan held a harpoon gun. Dave nodded in confirmation, leading the team down the hall. 

The group was startled by a splash of molten metal not far ahead of them, erupting from one of the forges in the wall. Dave immediately stopped and waited to see how to step around the magma, and to see if it would continue splashing.

To their surprise, the magma began bubbling and pulsating, slowly taking shape. The shape grew into the shape of an arm sprouting from the ground, holding a large sword. Once the shape was fully realized, the magma dispersed, leaving behind a rocky arm-shadow wielding a sword.

As the shadow took form from the lava, several other splashes of magma occurred, forming three more of the strange shadows. Dave readied his blade, and the rest of the group followed suit. 

Dave called upon his new Arcana as everyone else called forth their Personas, focusing and hearing a name being called in his head.

“Alice!” Dave shouted, crushing the card of the Death Arcana in his hand. To his surprise and confusion, a short, young blonde girl appeared before him, wearing a dress befitting a young girl straight out of the early 1900’s.

“Wait, seriously?” Dave asked, eyeing the Persona. Vriska cackled lightly, amused at the turn of events.

Terezi turned her head, now covered with the red blindfold. “Wow, that’s a strong one, Dave! You better not lose!”

Dave sensed that what Terezi said was right, despite Alice’s appearance. Pretty much nothing in the computer world made sense, so why should he doubt the power of what looked like a simple little girl?

The first thing that came to Dave’s mind was the presence of a Mudo spell in Alice’s repertoire, but something about it seemed different. The name of the spell, however, wasn’t quite coming to him, and probably wouldn’t unless he tried it out.

“Well, here goes nothing.” Dave muttered, thrusting his hand forward. “Die For Me!”

Alice winked and raised her hand to the sky as a swirling, grey cloud formed upon the ceiling. With little warning, strange objects began falling from the cloud; upon closer inspection, Dave could see that they were cards wielding spears. The story reference was a little odd, and quite out-of-place, but Dave wasn’t complaining; the spears skewered three of the shadows, killing them outright.

Terezi cackled. “Told you so! Terezi knows!”

Taking her chance, Nepeta launched herself forward at the shadow and clawed at it, leaping off to leave room for Feferi to approach and run it through with her double-sided trident. The final shadow was felled by a blast from Eridan’s harpoon gun. 

Rose nodded, impressed. “That Persona will come in handy. Still, there’s always a chance that her attack might fail, as with all Mudo skills.”

“Yeah, I know.” Dave agreed. “But it’s a good thing if we want to get shit wrapped up quickly.”

 

“Speaking of getting things wrapped up quickly…” Vriska muttered, walking forward ahead of the others as they conversed. Dave couldn’t help but think of the innuendos that went along with what she had just said. Still, she was right. 

The group encountered several similar shadow squads along the way while searching for Tavros’ shadow, all easily felled by either Dave’s new Persona or a combined assault from the others. Watching the others fight tipped Dave off to their styles; Feferi possessed a lot of status-debilitating spells while being quite resistant to damage, leading her to be rather stationary and defensive during battle. Eridan also preferred to stick in one place, as a magic cannon instead of a tank like Fef.

At last the group came upon a massive metal door, bound by similarly massive chains and locks. Rose approached and inspected it.

“I suppose we could try to break it down. Doing so would probably take much effort, and would probably leave us hindered for the upcoming fight, but… I don’t see any other way through.” Rose said, crossing her arms and tilting her head as she tried to get a better look at all the chains.

Dave approached as well, Vriska standing beside him. 

“Look.” Vriska said, pointing at one of the chains. “That one has a crack in it.” 

Dave looked up at where she was pointing. As she had said, a crack was visible on one of the chains; it was a small one, but it was a weak point nonetheless.

“I got it!” Nepeta exclaimed, hopping forward and scaling the door nimbly using the chains for leverage. When she reached the crack, she readied her claw and struck it. The cracked chain link split in two easily, bringing Nepeta and the rest of the chains down.

Nepeta stuck the landing and jokingly bowed. “Thank you, thank you!” 

“Amusing.” Rose mentioned, lightly kicking the pile of chains. “It may look strong on the surface, but it falls to a single strike to its’ weak point. Well, I suppose we can advance now.”

“Way ahead of you.” Dave confirmed, stepping forward. He decided to call upon another one of his new Arcanas, this time that of the Emperor.

“Barong!” Dave shouted, the name coming to mind instantly. His Persona took the form of a large lion-like creature adorned in jewelry and other fineries. With a simple flick of the hand, Dave commanded Barong to charge into the door. Barong complied and busted the door open with a headbutt, allowing the group to enter the heart of the forge.

The heat was especially oppressing in the large room, likely due to the stream of magma pouring from a hole in the ceiling into a seemingly bottomless well. The walls were adorned with what looked like failed attempts at creating prosthetic metal legs, each pair either bent, broken, or misshapen. 

A shout of anger alerted the others to an anvil near the well of lava. There sat Tavros in his wheelchair, slamming a hammer onto a piece of metal that rested on the anvil. He too had horns like the other foreign exchange students, his being large bull-like horns that almost seemed too heavy for his head to support. 

“Shadow Tavros, I assume.” Rose observed, noting the dull blue aura surrounding him. 

“Why won’t you stop?” asked another voice from across the room, this one belonging to the real Tavros who was held against a wall via chains that held each of his limbs. “It’s pointless!”

Shadow Tavros struck the anvil especially hard, then dropped the hammer. “It’s that attitude that’s keeping us from walking! I just need to work more… but I’ll probably give up when it gets too hard, like I always do, and resign myself to my fate.”

“Here goes.” Vriska muttered, crossing her arms.

“What are you talking about?” Tavros asked his shadow. 

“I know you. Tavros, hiding how pissed off and upset he is behind a smile. Tavros, not showing everyone how jealous he is, because he can handle not being able to walk! Tavros, always getting walked all over because he’s too nice and too crippled to walk over everyone else! I’m sick of it! And so should you!” Shadow Tavros shouted. “I know how it feels, cause I’m you!”

“You’re not…” Tavros gasped, trying hard to pull at his chains.

“I know! I know what it’s like to look at everyone taking walking for granted. I know what it’s like to feel useless. Well I’ll show them.” Shadow Tavros continued, reaching for the hammer he had dropped.

“Three…” Vriska said, mostly to herself.

“If I can’t walk like them, I can at least show them I’m not useless! Isn’t that right, ‘me’?” Shadow Tavros shouted, slamming the hammer on the unfinished metal legs that rested on the anvil.

“Two…”

“No!” Tavros shouted from his suspended position, still tugging at his restraints. “That’s not how I feel! Everyone understands and helps me with my disability! Why should I feel like that?”

Shadow Tavros continued hammering.

“One…”

With a sigh of exasperation, Tavros ceased pulling on his chains. “You’re not me!” he shouted out of anger and resignation.

The next strike of the hammer was accompanied with an explosion of energy as Shadow Tavros cackled and began to glow. “Let’s see how useless I am now!” he yelled as his form became obscured by the dark-red energy that surrounded him.

Dave, feeling the need to change things up, called upon his Tower Arcana. “Cu Chulainn!” he shouted as the name came to mind.

Barong dissipated and was replaced with a Persona that looked very much like Tam Lin, with differently colored hair, armor, and a differently shaped spear. Chulainn twirled his spear and took a combat stance.

The members of the group assumed their stances, ready for the fight; Dave, accustomed to being jumpy during fights, hopped around a bit to get light on his feet. Feferi and Eridan planted their feet into the ground, Vriska stood tall for a good aim, Rose held up her needles elegantly, and Nepeta assumed her feral, crouched-over stance.

Shadow Tavros let out a beastlike roar as the aura surrounding his faded away. He came into view as an armored torso that rose from the magma well, the magma falling from the ceiling dripping off of his armor without burning through it. He wore a menacing, caged helmet that sported horns similar to his own, and wielded two deadly looking weapons; a large lance in his right hand, and a blacksmith’s hammer in his left. His face was almost completely concealed by the helmet.

“I am a shadow, the true self!” he shouted, swinging his hammer menacingly. “If I don’t get to walk like the rest of you, then I’ll just make sure you won’t be leaving with all of your bones intact!”

“Bring it on, ugly.” Dave called, readying his blade. The magma pouring down the shadow’s back made physical attacks near-suicidal for himself, but his Persona would probably be able to handle it.

“Here’s a taste of what it’s like to be restricted!” Shadow Tavros shouted, slamming his hammer onto the ground.

Everyone in the group save for Terezi began to glow. Suddenly Dave felt a pull, and found a chain of energy began forming from the glow that surrounded him. He looked in the direction that the chain was traveling to and found it connecting to Feferi’s glow.

“What the?” Dave exclaimed as he was tugged closer to Feferi. In an attempt to get away and have more personal space during the fight, he tried to back away; but try as he might, he could not get more than five or so feet away from Feferi without a surge of pain running through his body.

“He’s connecting us to those we aren’t compatible with in combat!” Rose shouted, watching her energy chain reaching for Vriska’s aura. “Or… just aren’t compatible with in general.”

”Well, that fucking figures.” Vriska groaned.

Nepeta and Eridan were also pulled together, leading to some rather angry noises from Nepeta. 

In a style like their owners, the Personas wielded by the group were also chained together in the same groupings as their owners.

Dave groaned angrily as well. As far as fighting with, he and Fef were a world apart. While he preferred being mobile and fluid in combat, Feferi preferred being stationary and defensive. Nepeta was an outright berserker that fought like Dave on steroids, and couldn’t be any farther from Eridan’s stand-and-shoot style. In Vriska and Rose’s case, well… The lack of coordination between the two was inevitable.

“What the hell do we do?” Eridan called, swishing his hand at the energy chain.

Looking around, Dave made a quick decision. “Spread out with whoever you’re chained up with! Don’t let him get us grouped up together!”

Carefully, as to not get too far away from each other and suffer the damage caused by the chain, Dave and Feferi stepped carefully away from the others and stood their ground.

“Any idea what we should do?” Feferi asked.

“Magic. And hope he swings those things really slowly.” Dave answered, referring to the lance and hammer.

“Alright!” Feferi confirmed, twirling her trident and pointing. “Poison Mist!” 

Hestia raised her hand and dispelled a torrent of purple smoke at Shadow Tavros, but the mist rolled off of the helmet he wore. 

“Don’t think that’s gonna work.” Dave muttered. “Zionga!”

Tam Lin raised his hand and let loose a bolt of lightning, striking shadow Tavros in the chest. The shadow reeled slightly but held fast, slamming its’ hammer on the ground.

The strike created a shockwave near Dave and Feferi, sending them both back and farther away from each other; far enough to activate the shocking effect. 

“Son of a bitch!” Dave shouted, crawling frantically back towards Feferi. When he got close enough, the shocking stopped, but a feeling of numbness still remained.

Nepeta had to restrain herself from bouncing around too much as to avoid the shock. “Come on, Ampurra! Let’s get up close!”

”Dammit, I can’t! That lance could tear me in half!” Eridan protested. “And then you won’t be able to go anywhere!”

Nepeta groaned and had Eros shoot a few arrows, hoping to afflict poison or some other harmful effect on Shadow Tavros, but the shadow proved yet immune. Eridan merely shot with his gun; damage was done, but merely in scratches.

“Just… try to work together, somehow!” Terezi advised, confounded by the situation.

“If we can just get that helmet off…” Vriska muttered, peppering the enemy with tosses of dice while staying out of his range.

“I was thinking that as well!” Rose agreed. “That must be where a great deal of his protection is coming from. Other than the lava… that must be stopped as well.”

Dave and Feferi got back up after their shock. “To the left!” Dave shouted, running from an incoming swing of Shaodw Tavros’ hammer. Once safe, he held out his Persona card and swapped it for the his as-of-yet unused Priestess Arcana. “Kikuri-Hime!” Dave shouted, Tam Lin fading into a floating woman who looked like a moving statue made of matte materials. She was adorned in red and green, and her long hair was a glistening white.

“Let’s give this a shot. Feferi, protect us as much as you can.” Dave said, trying to keep himself from leaping around so he could focus on being stationary and fortified. 

“Alright.” Feferi agreed, nodding and spinning her trident. “Rakukaja!” She shouted. Hestia obeyed her command and dispelled a purple mist over the two of them, enhancing their defense.

Dave clenched his fist and Kikuri-Hime rose her hand, the two of them committing their minds to charging the next attack. 

Shadow Tavros turned to Dave and Feferi again, perceiving them as a threat. Vriska gasped and rushed forward, forcing Rose to follow to avoid being shocked. “Can’t let him take them down, they’re onto something!”

Rose grumbled. “Perhaps let me know next time! What are we going to do?”

Vriska didn’t respond, instead having Arachne crawl onto Shadow Tavros (followed closely by Rose’s Iris to avoid being shocked) and begin biting any exposed skin as Vriska tossed barrages of randomly exploding dice. It was enough of a barrage to distract Shadow Tavros from Dave charging up, lifting his lance at Rose and Vriska. 

“Dave, block the lava! Nepeta, Eridan, find some way to get that helmet off!” Rose shouted as Shadow Tavros shook off her and Vriska’s Personas, then proceeded to slice at them with his lance, knocking them both far to the back of the forge room. 

“Rose and Vriska are both down!” Terezi announced, a worried tone in her voice.

“Now! Bufudyne!” Dave shouted, throwing his hands forward. Kikuri-Hime obeyed and concentrated a blast of ice at the opening pouring magma that coated Shadow Tavros. With enough mental concentration, the sub-zero temperature of the ice was able to suppress the lava without melting, no doubt thanks to its’ magical nature. 

The magma gone, Shadow Tavros roared and dropped his hammer, patting his skin and frantically trying to gather magma from the small pool that he protruded from, trying to restore his defenses.

“Now or never, Ampurra! Suck it up and come on!” Nepeta commanded. Eridan swallowed and followed her on her charge, following her as they scaled Shadow Tavros’ still hot back. 

Shadow Tavros roared again at the annoyances that climbed his back, trying to swat them away. He was too late, however, and Nepeta managed to snap the chain that held his helmet in place, sending it crashing to the ground. The two leapt off the shadow immediately afterwards to avoid being apprehended.

Beneath the helmet was a horrifying sight; Shadow Tavros’ face was extremely mutilated by burn injuries and scars, and was simply a nauseating sight. 

Dave, in his fortified position, looked at the saddened Shadow Tavros in the eye, lifted his sword, and threw it directly at his face.

The katana circled through the air and stuck Shadow Tavros directly in the forehead, causing him great pain and sending magma-like blood onto the floor in front of him. As the damage was done, the chains binding the persona-users dissipated into thin air. Shadow Tavros still stood, however, moaning sadly in defeat and in pain and not retaliating despite the massive lance held in its hand.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Dave reverted his Persona back to Hermes and leapt up, tearing the katana out of Shadow Tavros’s face. The shadow’s head, as if held by cheap stitches, exploded into a torrent of magma. The magma didn’t fly far enough to harm anyone in the room other than Dave, who was fortunately protected by his Persona’s innate protection from fire. 

Shadow Tavros’ now headless torso flopped backward , leaning limply over the side of magma pool as more magma poured out of its neck while it dissipated into black smoke upon its’ defeat. The magma spilled disappeared, rendering the room relatively safe from burn hazards. Rose and Vriska got to their feet, and Eridan and Nepeta helped Tavros down from his chains on the wall.

The previous form of Shadow Tavros sat on the edge of the forge, a blank expression on his face. 

”You have to accept what it said, Tavros.” Terezi advised as she grew close, Athena following closely behind her. The others unsummoned their Personas, but Terezi preferred keeping Athena ready to go so that she could see while she was in the computer. “If you don’t, it’ll just go berserk again.”

“Don’t want that, either…” Vriska muttered, massaging her shoulder. “Tough son of a bitch.”

Tavros, held up by Nepeta and Eridan, looked at his shadow and sighed. “I… I do feel useless. I do feel left out. Everyone takes their walking for granted, and… I’m just tired of being singled because of it. I don’t want to be treated differently, even if it’s positive treatment. I don’t want to be excluded, I want to be included. But… being a jerk to everyone isn’t going to help me do that.”

Shadow Tavros’ expression went from blank to a soft smile.

“You’re… you’re me. You’re the anger that’s in me at my situation… I just hope I can take that anger and… make it something more positive.”

With a nod, Shadow Tavros faded into a floating card; Rose identified it as the Hanged Man; which in turn faded into a Persona. 

Tavros’ Persona was a floating torso, everything from the waist down being a plume of flame. Waist-up, the Persona was a well-muscled man with a breastplate covering his otherwise bare chest. He held a lance in his right hand and a hammer in his left, just like Shadow Tavros, and he also wore a similar, though far less menacing, helmet.

“Hephaestus.” Tavros said as he accepted the card of the Hanged Man once Hephaestus reverted back into card form. 

“Can we get back now? I’m dying here, I need to lay down.” Vriska complained.

Dave tried to ignore any thoughts of Vriska laying down at this point. He still needed to punch Egbert on the shoulder for being a lucky little shit.

“Yes… Let’s.” Rose agreed, leading the team through the newly-appeared exit door out of the forge room.

__

The group found themselves back in the dorm, the time having advanced by one hour as expected.

“We’d better go get Tavros, then.” Nepeta announced, following Equius out to go pick up Tavros. 

Vriska groaned, still in pain from getting pummeled by the shadow and still a bit hungover from the ‘cookies of deceit’, as they had been dubbed by John. “I’m… I’m going outside for a bit.” She announced, heading out through the back door. 

John turned his head as she left, a little worried, and followed her out. 

When he opened the door and stepped out, he was greeted by the sound of a clicking zippo lighter as Vriska lit a cigarette. She nearly dropped it when she saw him. “Oh… Um…”

“I didn’t know you…” John began, not sure how to say it.

“I didn’t. Well, I quit.” Vriska answered, taking a huff and letting out a puff shortly afterwards. “I just… Fuck, I needed one. I’m feeling awful.”

“Oh.” John muttered, sitting next to her. “It’s… It’s not because of me, is it?”

“No, idiot.” Vriska replied, smiling and pushing him gently. “God, you can be so damn innocent sometimes. No, it’s not your fault. I liked the whole teaching-the-little-virgin-boy-how-to-please-his-woman thing, to be honest. You weren’t terrible.”

John laughed, but crossed his arms as well. “Not terrible? Gee, thanks.”

“Oh hush. I could’ve called you worse.” Vriska retorted. 

“Yeah, yeah.” John said, looking down. “I like the tattoo, by the way.”

“What tattoo?” Vriska asked.

“The one by your…”

“I don’t have a tattoo, John.” 

“Yes you do! I saw it, right between-“

“You never. Saw. A Tattoo.” Vriska stated, taking another huff. “And you will not tell anyone about this silly imaginary tattoo business.”

John shook his head and chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good boy.”


	23. Domination at the Laser Nexus

“So, tell us about what happened that night.” Jade asked, setting down a cup of tea for Tavros as she sat down. 

“Well… I was just in my room. I was working on a paper due in English class, when I heard something. I tried to turn around, but my hands started moving on their own. Before too long I started typing something into my computer, and I heard a laugh before I blacked out. Sounded a lot like Gamzee…” Tavros responded, sipping the tea.

“That settles it, then.” Vriska concluded. “He’s targeting us specifically. As if there was any doubt the last few times.”

“But what can we do? He gets to them too quick.” Jane pointed out, worried.

“I say we keep doing what we’ve been doing.” Dave suggested. “If Gam is gonna just up and take people, there ain’t shit we can do but go get them after. He’s only making us stronger. And he’ll run out of exchange students eventually.”

“We are still so far from understanding why he is doing this…” Rose said. “It’s frustrating. I’ve been coming up with theories, but nothing really fits.”

“I want to help!” Tavros said rather loudly, excitement taking over the volume of his voice. “U-um… I want to help. I don’t know why he’s doing this, but there’s got to be something I can do in that other world.”

“You’ve got a Persona, that’s good enough to make you a member of the team already.” John answered. “Welcome aboard!”

Vriska rolled her eyes. “More of us mean more people to bring in to each world too, right? That means we can split up more effectively should he take more than one person again.”

“We’ve got to worry about Aradia, Sollux, Kanaya, and Karkat. They’re the only ones he hasn’t gotten so far.” Feferi concluded.

“In such a short time, as well.” Rose pointed out. “He works quickly.”

“I just hope he doesn’t move onto someone else once he’s finished with… with you guys.” Jade said. “It’s bad enough he’s doing this to all of you. It doesn’t need to happen to anyone else.”

Jake smiled. “Hey, let’s lighten up! Always look on the bright side of life, right? Don't grumble, give a whistle, and this'll help things turn out for the best.”

Vriska rubbed her forehead. “What are you going on about, English?”

Jake sat back. “I don’t see the bad. Well, I don’t see it in the foreground, anyhow. We’ve got plenty to be proud of! Another kidnapping foiled, no one got hurt, and we’re getting closer to saving every one of the exchanges! Let’s not look at your failures before being proud of what we’ve accomplished, by gum.”

Everyone in the room either smiled or nodded. Despite the severity of the situation, they had done well, and had much to be proud of. 

“Jake’s right!” Jane proclaimed, her face showing signs of nervousness when everyone turned to her. “Um… I think we should celebrate. To show Gamzee we’re not letting him win. We’re going to live as normally as we can, and have fun!”

“Normally except for the mythological creature-things and the computer world, yeah.” Dave said. “I’m up for celebrating though. Not eating shit that Roxy touches again.”

As if on cue, everyone glared at Roxy, who merely giggled and waved. “Aw c’mon, it was fun. Right, Vriska, John?”

John and Vriska released their hold on each other’s hands, blushed, and looked away from each other as the rest of the group had their laugh (aside from Tavros, who hadn’t any idea of what was being referenced).

“Seriously though, if we’re doing something, let’s do something!” Jade said, excited. “Anyone have any ideas?”

Dirk slapped his hand on the table as to draw attention to himself. “Laser tag.” He announced, his face straight and serious. 

“There’s a laser tag joint around here?” Terezi asked. Several felt bad that her disability limited her ability to join in such an activity, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Yeah, Laser Nexus.” Jake piped. “Jolly good time, it is!”

“It’s about ten bucks a person for one game.” Dirk added. “So if we all pitch in about twenty, we can have a great night.”

“And the teams?” John asked. 

Jane pointed at Rose’s prized whiteboard, having since been erased in case any new breakthroughs had been made. “We could split them up here.”

“Purrfect!” Nepeta proclaimed, leaping up and grabbing a sharpie. “What are the team colors, Dirk?”

“Red and Blue.” Dirk answered.

Nepeta nodded and proceeded to write down two colums; one ‘red’ and one ‘blue’. Everyone signed up, and after a bit of switching to balance the teams, the roster was decided.

“So on the red team, we’ve got Dave, Jade, Rose, me, Fef, Dirk, and Roxy.” Nepeta announced. “And for the blue team, we have John, Terezi, Vriska, Equius, Eridan, Jake, and Jane.”

“You sure you want to sit out, Tav?” John asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’d be rough for me to get around.” 

“Terezi’s going and she’s blind, dude.” Dave pointed out.

“I like watching!” Tavros claimed. “It’s fine, really! I’ll keep track of how everyone’s doing. I’m way too tired anyway.”

“If you’re sure.” John conceded. “And the leaders of each team?”

“Dave for red!” Jade exclaimed. “I mean, he already leads us in the computer. With him, there’s no way we’ll lose.”

Dave shrugged. “I can’t say no, can I?”

“No you cannot.” Rose answered, smiling. 

“Then John will lead the blue.” Vriska piped up. “And may the better man’s team win, right?” she asked, looking at Jade. Jade simply glared back.

“Then to the Laser Nexus we go!” Jake announced. 

__

The group went by bus to the Laser Nexus, paid for two games, and entered the pre-game area to suit up. The gear consisted of a simple vest that lit up with the team’s color, used to detect hits and represent ‘hit points’, as well as a laser rifle. The rifle was a standard two hand grip not unlike actual real world rifles; Jade and Roxy took to it quite naturally. The rifle’s trim also glowed with the color of the team, and had a scope that showed a counter of ammo remaining. 

“Ready?” Jade asked Dave, smiling and holding her rifle at the ready.

“As I’ll ever be. Still think you’d be better for leader, you actually know your way around guns.”

“It’s not about how well you use the gun, silly.” Jade responded, adding a kiss to Dave’s cheek to the end of her sentence. “Everyone looks up to you cause you’re good at leading, whether you know it or not. You’ve got a spark, I guess.”

Dave couldn’t help but smile, moreso at the fact that Jade complimented him than the compliments themselves. Whatever he felt like when it concerned leading, it didn’t matter; he couldn’t exactly step down for the computer world, and leading in a laser tag game hardly meant anything.

A counter beeped as it reached zero, opening a door into the arena.

The arena was mostly black and dark, with glowing lights tracing the shape of obstacles and sources of cover. A fog, most likely created by a dry ice machine, covered the area. There was also an observation deck above the arena behind a window of glass, where Tavros sat and watched.

Dave crept forward, taking this seriously. It was time to give everyone a taste of classic Strider domination. He listened closely for footsteps as the rest of his team crept forward as well. Roxy and Jane took point, heading closer to the center of the arena. 

Dave heard the sound of a shot and headed around the cover, raising his rifle and getting who seemed to be Equius in his sights. Equius was focused on trying to get Rose, leaving him perfectly open to a few clicks of the trigger from Dave. Equius’ vest lit up brightly as he was hit, and he turned tail to avoid losing the rest of his hit points.

Dave’s vest lit up as well, losing twenty of his hundred points as John got him by way of flanking. Jade avenged this loss by shooting John, resulting in everyone heading back into cover. 

Considering where each opponent was, Dave crept around to the other side of the center of the arena as the rest of his team held their ground at the center. He could definitely do some damage if he got behind them, and would definitely scatter them. Creeping forward, no one saw him as he procured a good position to hit them all from the back. 

Eridan fell back into cover and reloaded his rifle, looking up to see Dave too late to save himself and the others from Dave’s sweep of lasers. Each member of the blue team that was at the center suffered a few points lost from Dave, all six of them. Someone was missing.

Dave fell back into cover as the rest of the blue team quickly decided on who would fish out Dave and who would continue holding the center. It became clear to Dave that the other team had the same idea as them. He just didn’t see who was at the center very well, and thus couldn’t tell who the seventh member behind his own team was.

An alarm went off on the arena’s intercom; ‘Red team member eliminated’ it said. The alarm repeated itself as a second red team member was eliminated. Dave groaned and backed away as two blue team members approached; they looked to be Jake and Jane.

Dave leaned out of cover and shot Jake once, taking a shot on the way back. He was now down to sixty points left, meaning three more shots and it would be over. The alarm went off once more, this time announcing a blue team member was taken out. With a deep breath, Dave leaned out and shot Jake again, reducing him to zero and setting off the blue alarm. Once Jake was out of the picture he bolted away to get away from Jane.

The alarm sounded once more for the red team. Dave could only imagine what was going on. There were only four of them left, as opposed to the blue team’s five. 

With haste, Dave made his way back to the other side of the central area, being shot by Vriska on the way back. Forty points left.

Dave was waved over by Jade, Roxy, and Dirk as he made it back. The others left the arena after being eliminated to watch from above with Tavros. “What happened?” he asked the group, sticking low.

“They sent Terezi behind us and she got each of us somehow.” Jade answered. “I woulda felt bad about getting her but she shot each of us at least twice!” 

“She’s out, then?” Dave asked. 

“Yeah.” Roxy answered, leaning over and taking a shot; a miss, as Vriska dodged. “We only got her and Equius.”

“I got Jake.” Dave said. “And got a few of the others, but not out.”

“We’re all running pretty low on points, too.” Dirk said, moving to a different source of cover so they wouldn’t be so grouped together. 

“Well, whatever happens…” Dave began, dramatically saluting them. “It’s been an honor serving with you gentlemen.”

Jade stuck her tongue out and stood, firing off a shot and getting Vriska, depleting the last of her points to set off the alarm.

“Haha!” Jade giggled triumphantly as she ducked back down. Her hit counter read twenty as did Roxy’s, and Dave figured Dirk couldn’t have much more either.

Dave’s vest blinked as he took a shot, bringing his total to twenty; John had decided to flank them, and aimed at Jade. Dave shot John once, but he had hit points to spare, using the rest of his time out of cover to eliminate Jade.

“Awww. Take them out for me, alright?” Jade asked, lowering her gun.

 

Dave nodded and ran back to find cover that no one had the jump on. The alarm rang out again for the blue team, and Dave assumed that Roxy or Dirk had taken John out. Not long after, the alarm rang for red, and Dirk left the arena.

Dave leapt out of cover as he heard footsteps, firing off a shot and catching Jane unaware. Her points depleted, the alarm rang. It was down to Dave and Roxy versus Eridan.

Roxy nodded at Dave from across the room, and then nodded in the general direction of Eridan. Dave nodded and crept around when the alarm suddenly went off for red; Eridan had got Roxy. It was now or never; Dave dashed out and fired at Eridan once he was out of cover; the shot hit before Eridan could turn around, but the alarm didn’t go off; Eridan still had twenty points remaining. 

”Shit.” Dave said, trying to get out of the way. Too late; Eridan fired and robbed Dave of his final few points, winning the game for blue.

__

“Well, we were close.” Jade said, patting Dave’s back. “And we won the second time!” 

Dave nodded. “Thanks to my heroics of epic proportions.”

“Of course.” Jade agreed, pecking Dave on the cheek again. “You did just fine.”

“It was a great idea, Dirk! Thanks for suggesting that.” Feferi piped up. “What should we do now?”

“I think it’s time for us to split. It’s getting late.” John interjected, sipping on a bottle of soda. “It’s getting late.” 

“Awww.” Tavros sighed. 

“It’s the last bus of the night. I’m not walking back.” Dave pointed out, smiling. “Come on, man. We’ll do this some other time.”

Nodding, Tavros followed the others onto the bus, though Jake stayed with him to help him up the ramp.

“Dave?” Tavros asked, looking up. “Thanks.”

“For?” Dave asked, holding on to a bus rail. 

“Saving me.”

Dave’s eyebrow quirked. “That wasn’t just me.”

“Still. They say you’re the leader, right?”

“Not willingly. But it’s my job, like it or not.”

“I just thought I’d thank you. And you could thank everyone for me.” 

Dave blinked. “Alright then. I’ll do that.”

”Thanks. I’ll do my best, I promise.” Tavros affirmed. 

Dave nodded and turned back to looking out of the window when the sound of a new social link being formed rang in his head.

"I am thou. 

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Hanged Man Arcana."

Dave saw the card appear, numbered XII and portraying a man hanging upside down, tied to an unseen ledge by the ankle. His other leg was curved, forming the shape of a 4. The card faded shortly after, leaving him to return back to normal state of awareness.

__

Dave checked his calendar before going to bed. The past few days had been quite hectic and he had lost track of the date.

As of midnight, the date would be October 7th. Autumn was nearly halfway over, and winter would be arriving soon. Studying would become a necessity soon; and by studying, Dave of course meant attending study sessions so he could infer the answers from others. 

There would be time to think about it later; as of now, Dave’s triumphs in the laser arena left him exhausted. With a click of the bedside lamp, Dave was out within minutes.


	24. The Wheel of Fortune

Dave slammed his textbook and laid back. “That’s it. I’m done. If I look at one more anatomy diagram, my eyes are going to dissolve.”

“Daaaaaave.” Jade objected, patting his leg. "We already waited a whole week before starting to study, we’ve got to get our stuff done.”

“It’s only been three days.” Rose pointed out.

“Three days of nonstop questions and quizzes! I’m with Dave, I need a break.” John admitted, laying back like Dave. 

Rose rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. I suppose we all deserve a bit of a break.”

“Yes!” Dave proclaimed, raising his hands in the air. “Never thought I’d hear myself say it, but I need some fresh air.”

“You act as if I were keeping you prisoner.” Rose said, sticking her tongue out. 

“The way you wield guilt, they could stick you in the fucking army.” Dave retorted. “So what’re we doing with our newfound freedom?”

Jade tapped her chin. “There’s Halloween stuff springing up on campus. If you want to go check that out.”

“I’m game.” John said, sitting up. 

“It’d be a nice distraction.” Rose agreed. “Very well, let’s go.”

Jade happily led the way out of the dorm, and led the group to the quad where decorations were being put up for the Halloween season. As the campus was a public place, the decorations were family-friendly for the most part, with nothing too frightening.

“Kind of a shame.” John observed. “That’s the best part of the season, and they can’t do anything too creepy. Maybe we could find some off-site haunted houses in the city.”

“If you wanna pay to get into them, be my guest.” Dave said. “Might not be scary, but the ones here are free.”

“Hi, Aradia!” Jade called, accidentally interrupting Dave and John’s conversation.

“Jade!” Aradia responded, waving back. A tall girl stood with her, writing things on a clipboard. 

Jade went over, the others following her. “Dave, Rose, this is Kanaya, if you haven’t met her already.”

Rose smiled and shook Kanaya’s hand. “I have, actually. We’re in sewing together.”

Kanaya smiled back, standing close next to Aradia after letting go of Rose’s hand. “And these are the friends you mentioned, Aradia?”

“They can be your friends too.” Aradia said, smiling. “You know Rose, Jade, and John, but I don’t think you’ve met Dave.”

“Strider. Dave Strider.” Dave corrected. “Baddest mofo you’ll ever meet. What up?”

Kanaya rolled her eyes and laughed. “Are you here to help set up?”

“Of course not.” Dave answered matter-of-factly.

“I actually thought everything was done.” Jade answered. “My bad.”

Kanaya shook her head, tapping the clipboard she was holding. “No… I’m afraid we’re fairly behind the schedule. But we’ll be able to make up for it in due time.”

“We always do!” Aradia chimed in happily. 

“What’s the plan?” John asked.

“Well, as you can see, we’re setting up for a family-friendly Halloween event for families in the city. Parents can bring their kids to stop by campus buildings for candy, that sort of stuff.” Aradia answered. “So, we can’t make it overly scary.”

“Why a school campus, though?” Jade asked.

“I assume a public place such as this is potentially less dangerous than your average Seattle neighborhood.” Kanaya replied. “It’d be safer here. We’re also arranging small attractions on the side. It’ll be similar to a small carnival with a Halloween theme.”

“Different. I like it.” Rose observed.

“May be worth checking out.” Dave agreed. “Maybe we can bring the whole crew here, knowing you guys love getting together.”

“You know it’s fun!” Jade replied, giggling and nudging him. “Yeah, I think we should come here when it’s done.

“Midterms are on the 25th, and this event will be running every night from the 28th to Halloween night itself.” Kanaya stated. “If nothing else, come as a way to recover from the mental stress. We could use the attendance from the student body as well.”

“Getting high school kids in the same place as a bunch of younger kids can only go well, right?” Dave asked.

“It will if they behave.” Kanaya replied, grinning. 

”The kids or we teens?”

“Both.”

Dave smirked. “Alright then.”

“I suppose that visiting the completed event will be a fitting reward for our good grades, yes?” Rose asked, patting Dave’s back and grinning evilly.

Dave rolled his eyes. “The way you’re running us I better get into Harvard.”

“If you want to get into Harvard, Strider, I can start cracking the whip now.” Rose joked. 

‘Yeah, no.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Well, alright. Since you guys have this under control, we’ll get out of your hair. Good luck! We’ll see you after midterms.”

“Bye!” Aradia called.

“Farewell! Good meeting you, Dave.” Kanaya added.

Dave nodded and turned to follow the others when he heard a ring in his head, signifying a new social link being formed.

"I am thou.

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Temperance Arcana."

The card that appeared before Dave’s sight, labeled number ‘XIV’, was divided into four different sections; a red section with a triangle, a blue section with a cup, a yellow section with a bird-like figure, and a grey section with a square. Dave had no clue of the symbolism behind the illustration, and didn’t pay attention long enough to figure it out. Rose would know about it, and he would have to ask her later.

Jade paused as she saw Dave stop walking. “Dave?”

Dave rubbed his temples. “Just… one of those little episodes.”

Jade nodded and realized what he was talking about. “Let’s get going.” 

__

The days passed by like a blur, to the point where Dave felt like he was completely on autopilot, barely conscious. Eventually the day of finals arrived, and the four of them met on the ground floor of the dorm the morning of.

“Alright. Bit of coffee for each of us…” Jade started, pouring coffee for each of them. “And the waffles will be done in a sec.”

“This is going to be a damn slaughter.” Dave muttered, rubbing his eyes.

“With that attitude, perhaps so.” Rose pointed out. “Just remember what we’ve gone over in the past few days. You should be fine.”

Dave responded with a groan. 

“I’m just glad we studied at all. I think we’ll do okay.” John said, trying to provide an air of positivity. 

Jade passed out the waffles. “And once we’re done, we can all come back and take some well deserved naps. It’ll be fine! Just think of being done and it’ll be over before you know it.”

Dave groaned again, determined to be completely pessimistic about the exams. He sipped his coffee and picked at his waffles, trying to sort out the stuff that they had studied the days before.

Roxy descended the stairs. “Good luck on the exams today!”

“Don’t you have them?” Rose asked.

“Seniors don’t take midterms. They have a year-long project that’s presented around finals time.” Jade pointed out. Roxy nodded and gave a wink. 

“Right you are. And me and Janey are goin’ work on ours for today. We’ve been puttin’ them off for too long.”

“Good luck with THAT!” Jade replied, smiling. “We’re all gonna do fine here.”

Dave groaned once more.

__

To Dave, the halls of the school smelled of hopelessness, despair, and coffee. A fitting setting for the horror that was midterms. He resolved to get in there, pull off a C, and get out in time to faceplant on the sofa for an extended nap.

The papers were passed out in English class, and Dave raised his pencil to face his doom. To his surprise, he actually knew a fair amount of what was asked. Having reviewed several of Shakespeare’s plays beforehand with the group, Dave was able to answer most of the test with ease.

The same happened with Dave’s science exam, and again with his history exam. Math proved troubling, but it wasn’t a completely hopeless fight like Dave had expected. Overall, he found his general performance to be around the B level, which was quite high for his standards. Complain as he did, Dave couldn’t fault the study sessions he shared with the others; they had apparently worked. 

True to his intent, Dave fell asleep almost immediately after getting back to the dorm. 

__

“Daaaaaave! Are you coming to the Halloween event?” Jade called, knocking on his door. Dave lumbered out of bed and checked his calendar; October 29th. The event that Kanaya and Aradia had been a part of was going on.

“I’m coming, just give me a sec.” Dave responded, throwing on his casual garb and getting ready to leave. He joined the others downstairs, still partially asleep. Jade rolled her eyes and stood close to him, interlocking their arms. 

Having barely been outside in the last few days, Dave hadn’t noticed the steady progress that was made on the quad and surrounding areas. The decorations, though tame, worked well with the trees, which were now shades of orange, red, and yellow. It looked completely different than we Dave had first arrived, and he had to admit that the view was quite stunning.

Jade looked up in awe and tugged her beanie straight. “They did so well… I don’t think I’ve seen it look this great in a while.”

“It’s something, isn’t it?” John asked rhetorically, smiling. “Let’s go have fun, then!”

“Right on.” Dave agreed, stepping forward to follow the others. He had barely moved an inch when a bright blue light flashed in his peripheral vision. He turned to see a blue, floating door made of some ethereal, transparent material. Glowing blue butterflies circled around it, each leaving a glowing trail the faded away after a few seconds. The door was in no way natural, and the fact that other people didn’t turn to investigate or look at it made Dave wonder if anyone else could see it.

The shade of blue was ever-so familiar… 

Without really thinking, Dave reached forward towards the knob, and upon touching it, his vision faded to black. 

__

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” Igor greeted as Dave came to, the sound of an opera singer resounding throughout the small curtained club booth. “It has been quite some time since you have been called here.”

Dave yawned and rubbed his eyes, still tired from sleeping in. “Man, I wish you would have called me earlier this week. Could’ve used a distraction during all the studying. I’m liking the door thing though. Given the choice between slipping here when I sleep and touching some weird mystic portal to Narnia, I’d choose Narnia.”

Igor merely grinned. “I am glad you agree with the methods we have used to call you. Truthfully, the Velvet Room manifests when your psyche demands it. In a way, you yourself summon yourself here.”

“You mean I’m subconsciously putting myself in here?” Dave asked.

“In a way, yes.” Igor said. “Guidance is what pushes those who accomplish great things to complete their journeys. No hero ever takes the stage and defeats the great evil without guidance. I am here to provide that guidance, at the discretion of your psyche’s subconscious whims.”

“Hm. Dope.” Dave observed. “So you’re part of my head too?”

Igor shook his head. “I would not go that far, though I am quite connected to your destiny. As I have said, I am here to provide a service, that of guidance, assistance, and providing information.”

“You’re the one activating those notifications in my head every time I make a new social link, aren’t you?” Dave asked. “I feel the same when that happens when I come here. It’s the same feeling.”

“An astute observation, and an accurate one.” Igor answered, tapping his crossed fingers idly. “Yes, that would be my doing, though the arcana themselves give voice to the revelations.”

“I noticed that. The voices are different for each one. Usually they match the gender of the person who the link came from.” Dave pointed out. He felt proud of himself; he was actually keeping up with Igor for once. 

“Indeed. But that is not why I called you here. You realize your journey nears a peak, do you not?” he asked, leaning forward.

“What do you mean?” Dave asked.

“You recall that on previous occasions I have referred to the Wheel of Fortune, yes?” Igor asked.

“Yeah, that’s my arcana. It’s where Hermes comes from.”

“You are correct, but there is meaning beyond simply what form your Persona takes. There is meaning behind your arcana.” Igor said, tracing a circle in the air with his finger. A glowing trail followed his finger’s motions, forming a circle of light that floated in midair in front of Dave.

The circle, a halo of light, was divided into two colors, red and blue, that seemed to fade into one another instead of being harshly divided by a definitive line. At each apex of the circle; the topmost point and bottommost point of the shape; there were two bright orbs. A blue orb rested on the top of the circle, while a red orb resided on the bottom. In the center of the circle, a small pointer rotated counter-clockwise. As it got close to an orb, the orb grew brighter until it blinked when the pointer pointed directly at it. After the blink, the orb went dim while the other orb went through the same process, only to glow again when the pointer spun again towards it.

“What am I looking at?” Dave asked.

“The Wheel of Fortune, dear guest.” Igor responded. “A metaphor for the great adventure that is life. The blue orb represents high points, memories full of happiness, and good times. The red orb represents low points, memories full of sadness, and bad times. The blue orb is, of course, preferable, but would it have significance were it not for the red orb to give it distinction?”

“Haven’t we had this discussion before?” Dave asked. 

“We have touched on the topic before, perhaps.” Igor answered. “This is simply to… put it into perspective.”

“How so?” Dave asked.

“Observe.” Igor answered.

The pointer began spinning slightly faster, and each time it reached an orb, an image flashed along with it. First the blue sphere, accompanied with an image of Dave and Rose boarding the plane, then the red sphere with an image of Dave passing out after entering the Gateway Code for the first time.

Dave blinked and watched closely. The blue sphere ticked, showing an image of Dave and Jade sharing their first kiss that one night. The red sphere then ticked, showing Jade during her short reluctance to talk to Dave.

The wheel continued in this fashion until the blue orb ticked and showed an image Dave didn’t recognize. He saw a katana blade raised in the air, though it was unclear who was holding it. The next image, accompanying the red orb, was an image of a flaming juggling club, coated in red blood. Once the pointer reached the blue orb again, the circle shattered. 

Dave understood exactly what the last image meant, and sighed. “I know I’m being redundant here, but there’s got to be something I can do here. Help me out, man.”

“There are times when we can affect our destiny… and other times when we cannot. Regardless, your path; and what happens on it; is largely set in stone. It is what you will do when these low points occur that will determine your worth and the strength of your bonds. That is the point of Persona, to raise a mask in defense during times of trouble.”

“Right…” Dave uttered, sighing and rubbing his forehead. “I’ll… Just have to deal with that for now.”

“I hope you have been given enough to ponder. For now, I have kept you too long. Return to your life… I shall see you once again, soon enough.” Igor said, waving his hand in the air.

Dave merely nodded, sat back, and closed his eyes. He felt his body floating as the dream-like experience ended and he returned to consciousness.

A sole voice rang in his head, and the golden card that appeared the last time he visited the Velvet Room reappeared. This time, it was described and named, in the distinct voice of Igor.

"I am thou.

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Aeon Arcana."

__

Dave blinked and wobbled a bit as he found himself back in the real world. 

”Dave? You coming?” Jade called, turning mid-stride as she walked with the others.

“What?” Dave asked, then realizing that no time had passed from the time he touched the knob on the door until the present. He noticed that the door was no longer there.

With a concerned look, Jade walked back to him. “Was it one of those… episodes?”

“Yeah.” Dave replied, rubbing his temple. “Yeah, it was. I can… I can tell you about it later. I just need to clear up my mind for now.”

“I just hope this doesn’t mean someone will get kidnapped soon…” Jade muttered, but her expression forcefully brightened when she saw Dave’s strained expression. “But, that’ll be handled later! Come on, we’ve got stuff to see!”

Dave nodded and managed a smile, locking arms with Jade and walking to join the others. 

Igor’s words would pervade his thoughts for the rest of the day.


	25. Oh Snap

Dave returned to the dorm after a night with the A/V club. Now that school was back in session for November until winter break, all he could think of was weathering the storm that was finals and then spending time with the others, and possibly stopping Gamzee once and for all.

Roxy was the only one in the dorm when he got there, moving a few boxes. The stack of containers she held towered over her, and it was a wondering that she was carrying them at all. One miss-step caused her to teeter, so Dave rushed over and caught a few of the falling boxes. 

“Geez, Roxy, why are you carrying all of these at once?” Dave asked, placing the boxes on the ground for a moment so he could get a better grip on them. 

“Sorry, sorry! Me and Janey have a lot of stuff to sift through while we’re looking for stuff to use in our projects. I thought I’d be done faster if I just got it all out of the way in one stack of boxes.” Roxy replied. Dave couldn’t tell if she was blushing out of embarrassment or out of alcohol consumption.

“Well, just ask for help next time.” Dave said. “Can’t go busting heads in the computer if your back is thrown out. What kinda project is this, anyway?”

“Just kinda telling what we’ve learned in High School and how it will apply to what we want to do when we get into our careers.” Roxy replied. “These boxes have a lot of old notes and papers from earlier years between the four of us, and we wanted to reference a few of them.”

Dave nodded. “Where are they going to?”

“Up to Jane’s room.” Roxy answered, notioning at the stairs.

“I really wish we had a fucking elevator.” Dave mused as he proceeded up the stairs with half of the boxes, while Roxy followed with the other half. Once in front of Jane’s door, Dave plopped the boxes in front.

Roxy winked as she nudged the door open. “Sorry, no admittance! Might be too hot for a young, innocent gentleman such as yourself.”

Dave quirked and eyebrow, and tried to come up with a sarcastic comment, but just let it slide. After all, he and Jade hadn’t ever done anything; he would have no backing to the ‘I’m not innocent argument’. He merely shook his head. “I’ll see you later, Roxy.”

“Hey, thanks though.” Roxy added. “Next time I need something heavy lifted, I know who to go to. You take care, alright?”

“Yeah, you too.” Dave replied with a slight grin, turning to the stairs to head to his own room.   
As his foot touched the first step, he heard another social link announcement in his head. At this point, he was almost accustomed to hearing it. 

"I am thou.

Thou art I. 

The bonds that you forge will become your strength. 

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Moon Arcana."

The card that appeared depicted, quite fittingly, an almost cartoonish Moon. Above it was a lobster, for some reason that Dave didn’t quite comprehend (frankly, Dave had just about stopped caring about the philosophical symbolism in the cards). The card was numbered XVIII.

The vision disappeared from view, leaving Dave able to continue on his way. He had become better at regaining control of himself after his vision episodes, to the point where he barely skipped a beat afterwards. 

Upon entering his room, Dave plopped his backpack on the floor next to his desk and pulled up a chair to his computer, ready to spend the day surfing the web and wasting time. He had barely gotten to finish the newest masterpiece on the Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff blog when he heard the sound of a record scratch; his text ringtone for everyone except for Jade, whose texts were accompanied with a barking tone as an in-joke between the two of them.

Not expecting anything special, Dave took out his phone and saw he had a text from Vriska. It simply read ‘He got Aradia. I’ll 8e over tomorrow.”

“Well, shit.” Dave muttered. Gamzee had to make a move eventually, as it had been a few days since Tavros was taken. With every intent on being prepared for the next day, Dave decided to turn in earlier than usual after finishing his time-wasting. 

__

“Is it bad that I’m almost glad that we’re going back in?” Jade asked, placing her laptop on the coffee table. “After the long break before Tavros was taken, it was cool to be able to play hero again. Except that I didn’t get to, so you’d better take me this time!”

“Yeah, that’s pretty terrible. You’re such a total witch, Har.” Dave responded, shaking his head and grinning. 

Jade rolled her eyes. “Is Vriska here yet with the others?”

John was about to answer when the group heard knocking on the door; specifically eight knocks. Upon opening the door, the dorm was flooded with the exchange student gang that had become part of the Persona group. Dave considered deciding who was going to into the computer before actually inviting everyone over.

“Well, everyone find a seat and we’ll get started. Aradia’s counting on us!” John proclaimed, smiling for everyone. 

Everyone took their seat and looked at Dave, as if waiting for a cue. Dave decided not to be a little bitch and complain, and nodded back to everyone. “Alright, let’s do this. Get in the fuckin’ laptops.”

__

Dave awoke inside Asphodel surrounded by the others. He nearly smiled at seeing Tavros; he looked so excited and happy to be part of the solution, and it was great to see him in higher spirits. He would have to take him on his first time being in the computer, and it probably wasn’t the best idea to leave Jade behind either.

The group approached the newest door in the arcade, labeled “Aradia Megido: Death Museum”. 

“That sounds like fun.” John muttered. 

Dave turned to look at the group so he could decide on whom to bring. “The limit’s seven right now, right?”

Rose nodded an affirmative.

“Right then…” Dave muttered, looking the group over. He had thought of a list of people to bring the night before, but with Jade’s insistence, he had to make a change or two. “Jade, Vriska, Tavros, Equius, Roxy and Terezi, you’re with me.”

The others nodded with the usual disappointment in not being picked, but they knew only so many could be chosen. 

“The rest of us can keep watch here, perhaps investigate previous dungeons to practice for a spell. Good luck.” Rose responded. 

Dave nodded. “I don’t need luck, I have a sword.” He shot back, smirking as he entered the door with his team following behind.

__

Dave’s first sight was a dimly lit, dusty hall. The lights in the hall occasionally flickered, giving the entire area an incredibly creepy vibe; the dust and slight fog on the ground didn’t help at all.

“This place is supposed to be some sort of museum, right?” Vriska asked, looking around. “Where are all the exhibits?”

Equius pointed to a dust covered glass display box, the dust obscuring whatever was inside. “Perhaps someone would care to wipe the dust off; I fear I may break it accidentally.”

“Right.” Jade responded, stepping forward and dusting off the case. Inside was the skull of some odd, unidentifiable creature, apparently feline in nature. 

“Creepy…” Tavros muttered. Vriska noted his apparent nervousness and grinned.

“Well, as long as a shadow isn’t jumping out of it.” Dave muttered, looking towards a door at the end of the hall. A large statue stood near the door, a statue he hadn’t seen there a moment ago. The statue portrayed a woman holding a baby in her arms.

“I think this place is trying to mess with our heads…” Roxy mentioned, probably having seen the statue as well. “Let’s find our babe and get the hell out, yeah?”

“Way ahead of you.” Dave replied, holding his hand out to summon his katana. To his surprise, a new sword formed in his hand, this one a broadsword with a golden hilt and a bright white blade, so polished and sharp that it seemed to glow. “Badass. Everyone, see if you’ve got some new gear.”

Everyone, save for Equius who used his two fists, brought their weapons into being. Sure enough, everyone seemed to have upgrades; Jade’s old hunting rifle had been replaced with a new, more sleek looking rifle with a larger and no doubt more powerful scope; Roxy’s new assault rifle had a belt of bullets that she could wear around her, and seemed cleaner; Vriska’s dice looked relatively the same, but now had glowing numbers on their faces; and lastly, Tavros brandished a jousting lance that had a gold trim around the base. For an initial weapon, it was quite nice.

“Maybe they’re rewards for doing well?” Jade thought aloud. “Kinda like in a game.”

“I’ve come to pretty much see this place as a game for whoever’s running it.” Dave answered. “So I guess that’s a good guess as any.”

“We’ll certainly be more prepared to kick ass. Now, come on. Let’s see what’s in here.” Vriska said, spurring the others on.

Dave led the others into a large, circular room. From the ceiling hung the skeleton of some large avian creature, no doubt a dinosaur akin to a pterodactyl. Other skeletons and taxidermed animals were on display in the room as well, though they seemed to be in bad shape; the skeletons seemed to be missing a few bones and the animals were in scraggly, unkempt states.

Tavros wheeled himself into the middle of the room, looking at the displays in fearful awe. “Creepy is a bit of an understatement…”

“Talk about. I thought Aradia was a really happy chick?” Dave asked.

“Oh, she is.” Terezi answered. “But she’s probably the most fucked up person out of all of us, and that’s saying a lot when you put me and Gamzee on the table.”

”What do you mean?” Jade inquired

“You know how some people like to put on a smile even if their lives are in shambles?” Terezi asked. “Aradia isn’t like that. She’s just constantly happy. If things are going good, she’s happy. If things are awful, she’s happy. Her best friend could die horribly and she’d find a way to be happy about it. It’s quite maudlin, really!”

“I wouldn’t call it ‘fucked up’…” Jade said. “Just… a little creepy, I guess. But it’s good that she’s happy!”

“You guys just need to hang out with her m-“ Terezi began, before she was interrupted by a loud scream from Tavros followed by Vriska falling to the ground in laughter.

“What the fuck happened?” Dave asked, holding his sword at the ready before seeing Vriska flailing on the ground.

“Sorry, s-sorry!” Vriska managed to say between spurts of boisterous laughing. “He just makes it too easy!”

“She snuck up on me!” Tavros shouted, angry and embarrassed.

“Please, you two, be silent!” Equius protested. “No doubt every shadow in the museum has been alerted to our presence by now!”

As if on cue, the doors to the room slammed shut. Vriska continued to laugh until Dave tapped her with his foot, alerting her to the situation. She stood, still slightly giggling as she wiped the tears from her eyes that she had shed from laughing too hard.

The Personas came into being soon after the doors shut, and for a moment the room was completely silent.

“Dave…” Roxy muttered. “When did those statues get there?”

Dave looked at the statues that stood nearby the doors, noting that they weren’t there before.

The silence hung in the air for a few more seconds, and was broken by one of the statues opening up to reveal a stained glass interior with spiked ‘arms’, giving it the appearance of an elaborate iron maiden. Energy gathered in front of the stained glass and the statues began shaking and rocking around, followed by blasts of wind flying at the group of Persona users from all directions.

Equius and Vriska, both weak to wind, were tossed away easily. The room felt like the middle of a wind tunnel, and Dave struggled to cover his eyes. His mind drifted to his new social links, to think of Personas he had yet to use. Thinking quickly, he settled on Temperance and switched Hermes out, calling the name of his new Persona.

“Suzaku!” he shouted, and as he did a burst of light emitted from his Persona’s card, eventually fading into a brilliant, flaming bird with multicolored tail feathers and a shimmering, regal appearance, much akin to a red peacock. The flames surrounding the bird shifted around violently as the winds in the room continued to swirl, though Suzaku’s flight seemed to be undeterred. “Oh, fuck yes.” Dave muttered to himself, grinning and awaiting the mass destruction he could inflict with this Persona.

Jade, a little more suited to handling wind, got up quickly and had Hypnos focus on healing the others, particularly Equius and Vriska, who were still unable to get up.

Tavros’ handicap ironically ended up being his salvation; the weight of his wheelchair ended up keeping him from being pushed over. A look of confidence in his face, Tavros pointed forward with his lance. “Hephaestus! Give me a hand!” he shouted, looking to his Persona.

Hephaestus turned towards Tavros and struck the air near him with a hammer, creating sparks of energy in the air that swirled around Tavros’ legs. Slowly his legs became encased in a gradually forming pair of metallic legs, much like the ones Shadow Tavros was trying to forge yet much more refined and overall more advanced. In disbelief, Tavros slowly stood, and found that he had perfect balance. His Persona had re-enabled his ability to walk, at least for the time being. 

“Kick ass!” Roxy shouted, taking a shot at the stained glass insides of one of the statues. The statue tried to close its arms, but failed to do so in time before one of the bullets cracked the stained glass interior, killing the shadow. 

Terezi held a hand on her blindfold amidst the blistering winds. “Looks like that did it! Try attacking when they’re open, if you can get close enough!”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Dave answered, grinning. “Agidyne!” he shouted, pointing at one of the statue shadows. Suzaku opened its’ beak and spewed forth an immense fireball that hurtled towards the open shadow. The shadow tried to close its’ arms in time, but ended up catching the fireball within itself. The shadow shook violently and then exploded into hundreds of pieces, all which faded away into the black fog that was standard of dead shadows.

Tavros had seemed to adjust quite well to the use of his legs, and was already synergizing well with his Persona. Raising his lance, Tavros looked to Hephaestus, who again struck his hammer in mid air, this time lighting Tavros’ lance on fire. Charging forward, he attempted to strike a nearby statue, one that actually succeeded in closing its’ arms. Tavros went through with his strike anyway, and managed to pierce completely through the statue, slaying it instantly. Tavros nearly shouted in excitement and turned to face the stragglers, numbering at only three statue shadows left.

Vriska leapt to her feet and angrily threw her hand forward to command Arachne. “Mudoon!” she shouted, clutching her dice in case her attack didn’t work out as well as she had hoped. Purple flames surrounded the statue group, glowing ominously and gaining brightness until they exploded with a flash, destroying two of the shadows instantly and leaving only one remaining.

“This one is mine.” Equius concluded, getting to his feet. The statue opened its arms and created another gust, but on its’ own it could not create a wide enough gust. Equius simply sidestepped and leapt forward, grabbing the shadow and tossing it into the air almost effortlessly. Heracles leapt from behind Equius, grabbed the shadow in midair, and pile-drove the shadow into the ground, destroying it and causing quite the crater in the center of the room.

“Hang on, Aradia!” Jade shouted. “We’ll be right there if we keep fighting like this!”

“Damn straight. Let’s keep going.” Dave agreed, looking around. “The doors are still barred. Equius, you mind?”

Before Equius could respond, Tavros charged forward at one of the doors with his flaming lance and Hephaestus combined, easily shattering through the door. “Done!” he yelled to the others.

Vriska rolled her eyes and headed over to the newly opened pathway, followed by the others. More statue shadows lined the hall, but didn’t open or attack; perhaps they had grown afraid after witnessing the complete beatdown that occurred in the other room.

At last they reached an abnormally sized door, labeled ‘Museum Archives’. It was obvious that it was the room that housed Aradia, and therefore her shadow. 

”Let’s go and save her from her fucked up mind.” Vriska said, pushing the door open. “The hell?” she exclaimed immediately after seeing what was inside, rushing in before the others. Dave and the others followed suit and were rather shocked with what they saw; Aradia sipping a cup of tea at a dusty table, enjoying a cheerful conversation with her shadow who also held a cup of tea. Both of them were, as was expected, grey skinned and possessing horns. Aradia’s horns resembled those of a ram.

“Oh, hi!” Aradia called to the others, waving with a smile. “Why didn’t you guys tell me about this earlier? This other me is a delight!”

The others stared, dumbfounded. They understood how Terezi came to accept her shadow, but this was downright shocking.

“I told you she was the shit, guys.” Dave told the others, walking to Aradia. “So, uh… you two went through the whole inner monologue thing, then?”

“Oh, yeah! And it was incredible! Other me really understands me. It’s nice! She talked to me all about how death was inevitable, and how wonderful that is! And I completely agreed!”

Jade quirked an eyebrow. “How is that wonderful?”

“Because, silly!” Aradia responded. “Dying is kind of a great reminder that everything you do is great! Dying is what makes life great, you know? Anything you do is kind of amazing because, one day you'll be dead and you won't be able to do it, so it gives you the incentive to do it now!”

Shadow Aradia simply giggled. “It’s so nice to be accepted!”

“I like this chick.” Dave said, smirking. “Well, might as get this over with. So, uh, tell your Shadow that it is a part of you and shit, and then we can fill you in with what’s going on.”

“You mean like, tell her that we’re the same? Confirm it? How will that help?” Aradia asked.

“Just trust us.” Vriska answered, crossing her arms.

“Well, if you say so!” Aradia answered, turning to her shadow. “Hi there! So, I guess they’re right, you ARE a lot like m-“

Aradia froze mid sentence as if she were on a movie that had paused. One of her eyes twitched suddenly, and her grin gave way to a frown as her eyes slowly began to fade into a monotone purple.

”Gamzee, you son of a bitch!” Vriska snarled angrily, throwing her dice all across the room in random directions. The explosions that resulted shook the room slightly, breaking a few boxes and sealed exhibits. “Get out here and show your face so I can shove it up your own ass!”

“Motherfucker.” Dave muttered as he drew his katana. Deciding to go a different route with his Persona, he decided to call upon his Aeon arcana; the card was outlined with gold, which meant it was rare or something (right?). “Kushinada-Hime!” he yelled, as Suzaku was replaced with a grey skinned woman wearing a green japanese outfit with a comb motif for a headdress. It wasn’t nearly as badass as the flaming bird, but Dave could sense its’ power.

“Y’all thought I was motherfuckin’ gone, huh?” rang Gamzee’s voice from somewhere within the archives. Aside from the little clearing with Aradia’s tea table, the massive room was filled with boxes; it would be impossible to tell where Gamzee was with his voice emanating seemingly from every direction.

“It’s gonna happen soon enough, trust me!” Vriska replied. “Quit hiding, ass clown!”

“You’re…” Aradia muttered, obviously against her will. 

“Aradia, no!” Terezi called out in distress, clutching her blindfold and trying to locate Gamzee in the room using Athena.

“Not…” Aradia continued, obviously trying to fight the impulses from Gamzee’s control.

Vriska put an arm on Aradia’s shoulder and tugged to face her, scowling. “Aradia, stop! Fight him!”

Gamzee faded into view from the shadows nearby, and in the blink of an eye, dashed toward Vriska and grabbed the arm that was on Aradia’s shoulder. Vriska looked on in terror as Gamzee held her arm tight, grinning evilly.

“Me…” Aradia finished.

The sound of her shadow’s power exploding as it transformed almost drowned out the sound of Gamzee snapping Vriska’s arm.

Arachne dissipated from view, due to her master being unable to concentrate enough to maintain her presence. Vriska’s shriek of pain pierced the ears of the others, who were horrified to see their friend fall to the ground in agony.

“No!” Terezi exclaimed, tears immediately falling from beneath her blindfold. “Someone, help Vriska out!” 

Jade hurriedly went over with Hypnos, concentrating her energy into casting dia spells. “I’m going to be busy! Take care of Shadow Aradia!” 

Dave turned his attention to where the red smoke was gathering. The cloud of smoke rose into the air, and from it dropped a massive iron maiden, with the likeness of Aradia on its’ front. The arms swung open, revealing a robotic Aradia on the inside, suspended like a string puppet by blue tubes connected to her body. Nearby, a graphical interface showed a blue bar, and was labeled ‘100%’. The robotic Aradia, obviously Shadow Aradia’s true form, shrieked like a banshee before the arms on the iron maiden closed once more. A voice emanated from inside it, a robotic yet feminine voice. 

“I am a shadow. The true self! Without death, there would be no beginnings! Take solace in knowing that your deaths shall pave the way for more meaningless lives in the future!”

“Have fun, motherfuckers! And don’t think you can get off easy with any of my bros and babes, a’ight? Just ain’t fare for you to skip on a motherfuckin’ ass beatin’.”

“I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!” Vriska managed to yell between exasperated breaths, still in great pain.

“Yeah, good luck with that. Later!” Gamzee announced, winking and then fading back into the shadows. The group was left with one massive shadow and a badly injured teammate.

“I’m trying, Vriska… just hold on, alright?” Jade said, in a panic due to Vriska’s condition. 

“Let’s let Jade concentrate. For now, we focus on how to get this robo chick coffin open.” Dave said, raising his sword.

“I’ll try my best to see what we can do!” Terezi shouted, still upset over her inability to find Gamzee earlier. Her cheeks were stained with tears, but she wore a sneer on her face, as she was feeling more angry than forlorn at the moment.

The group that was still able to fight drew closer to the shadow, hesitant to make the first move. As a huge iron maiden, the shadow looked nearly indestructible; something that greatly troubled Dave. 

The eyes of the Aradia likeness that decorated the face of the maiden began to glow, shooting beams of light at the Persona users. Dave quickly leapt out of the way, as did the others. It appeared that unlike the statues that populated the dungeon, Shadow Aradia was able to attack while closed. 

“We have to try breaking it open somehow! Let’s try the old fashioned way, yeah?” Roxy asked, firing her rifle while running from the lasers. Artemis fired bolts of ice from her crossbow arm in addition. Their projectiles, unfortunately, seemed to do nothing. “Umm… bug bites, right?”

“You will find that I can do much more than bite.” Equius proclaimed, stepping forward with Heracles. The Persona rushed forward, aiming a punch with the cestuses on its hands. The resulting blow creating a large ‘clang’ sound, like the striking of a church bell. 

The arms of the iron maiden slowly swung open, revealing the robotic Aradia once more. She looked like she had just been released from some sort of pain, hanging limply from her suspensions. The interface nearby now read ‘90%’. 

“Is that, like, a health bar?” Dave asked. “But we didn’t even hit the inside.”

“No time to talk about it! Come on!” Tavros shouted, charging forward with lance in hand. Robot Aradia looked upwards and shrieked again; the inside machinery of the iron maiden began to glow, and let out a powerful shockwave that rushed over the other Persona users, knocking them away easily. Vriska, already injured, groaned in pain as she rolled away, while the others struggled to their feet after the powerful blow.

“David, observe.” Equius said, pointing. “The interface now reads eighty-five percent.”

Terezi rose to her feet and re-adjusted her blindfold. “I think I’ve got it. The more the Shadow moves and attacks, the more her energy is drained. Seems like she’s only got a limited amount!”

“So what, we just let her wail on us until she withers?” Dave asked. 

“Of course not! Too many of those shockwaves could kill any of us. It’s going to be a battle of attrition, cool kid!” Terezi answered. “Try not to die!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dave answered, looking to his new Persona. Lifting his hand, he decided to give the others a bit of a boost; “Marakukaja!” he shouted. Kushinada-Hime raised her hand and bathed the group in a soft purple light, forming protective shields around them to lessen damage taken.

Roxy got to her feet and sent a spray of bullets at the revealed robot Aradia, damaging a few of her many blue cables. With a shriek, Robo-Aradia closed the arms slowly once more, again encasing her in solitude. The effigy of Aradia on the face of the maiden began shooting out a concentrated beam this time, aiming at Equius who couldn’t run fast enough to escape the attack. He was seared, though not grievously thanks to Dave’s earlier spell. 

Dave knew he needed offense to crack open the maiden once more, so he opted to try out the new Moon Arcana. “Seth!” he shouted. Kushinada-Hime faded away and was replaced with a large, snakelike black dragon with massive wings. “Just what I needed!”

The concentrated beam swept towards Dave next, though he was able to leap over it. “Garudyne!” he shouted. Seth complied by beatings its’ wings, sending a razor gust at the shadow. The maiden titled slightly. “Equius, quick! Push it over!”

“Of course!” Equius responded, shrugging off the last attack and rushing forward, leaping upwards and landing on the maiden. Heracles followed suit and added its’ weight to the pushing, toppling the maiden soundly. The arms of the iron maiden swung open, quickly this time, throwing both Equius and his Persona away into the crates that filled the room. Supported by her tubes, Robo Aradia rose slowly from within the tilted iron maiden, looking as if she were exerting a great amount of fatigue to keep herself supported.

“Get ready, here comes the hurt!”

“Gah!” Jade exclaimed as she ceased healing Vriska for a moment to carefully drag her behind a large stack of boxes as a means of protection. 

“Terezi, get clear!” Dave shouted, trying to find cover. He ducked behind a small stack of boxes, but was still met with the full force of the shockwave; his stack of boxes wasn’t enough to withstand it. He was sent to the ground hard, his head impacting the ground and shaking his vision up a bit. He was barely able to get back up before another shockwave came his way, wracking him with pain and sending him into a pile of crates behind him.

“Dammit!” Roxy shouted, seeming to have similar difficulties. She had Artemis quickly send out some weak healing spells to the others to keep them from being overwhelmed, but a third shockwave from the crazed robot Aradia washed over the area.

Dave’s vision blurred as he tried to concentrate. The constant barrage of energy was nearly too much to bear…

“Hang on, man…” Dave told himself, clawing his way towards more boxes. He heard Robo Aradia screech again, and prepared himself for what might be the end, when the screeching was suddenly followed by a few slices and explosions. Pulling himself up and supporting himself on a crate, Dave looked onward and found that Terezi has drawn her swordcane and got close enough to cut most of Robo Aradia’s tubes, causing her to lose power rapidly until she was no longer able to fight, instead withering away slowly into the black fog. The fog took on the form of Shadow Aradia once more, and Aradia was able to manage to return to her feet.

“Vriska?” Aradia shouted, genuinely worried. 

Jade slowly rose from over a crate, similarly injured by the intense shockwaves. “She’s… she’s alright. Still in pain, and I think she passed out. We need to get her to a real doctor.”

“Jade’s got her, hurry and accept the shadow before we have to deal with Gamzee again.” Dave urged, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

“Oh, right.” Aradia agreed, looking at her Shadow. “I’m glad I got to talk to yo- er, got to talk to myself. I think it helped me understand myself more! You’re a part of me that I’m glad to accept! It’s all part of the great experience of life. You’re me, I’m you!”

Shadow Aradia gave a large grin as she faded into Persona form. Taking her place was a shadowy figure; literally a large, silhouette-like man with glowing white eyes and a lean yet imposing stature. Behind him was an oddly placed floating halo of flowers. His most striking features were his arms, which seems to each be one half of a protective iron maiden similar to the berserk shadow yet much smaller. 

”Hades!” Aradia exclaimed as she waved at her Persona, which faded away into card form. Dave already knew Aradia was of the Death Arcana, so he paid no special attention to the card. As soon as the Persona was accepted, a glowing white door opened as an exit, allowing them to carry themselves and Vriska out to the real world.

__

Dave woke up in the real world around the same time as the others. Terezi leapt up in alarm, as did Tavros and Equius.

Rose rubbed her eyes and looked up. “What… What’s going on? What happened?”

“Gamzee was there. Aradia was going to accept her shadow, but Gamzee interfered again. He… He hurt Vriska. I think he broke her arm.”

John gasped and went over to the barely conscious Vriska. “Vris… Hey, we’re going to get you to a hospital, alright?”

“Use the van.” Roxy muttered, still hurting. “We’re… we’re gonna stay here… We got hella whooped in there.”

“Right.” Dirk agreed, grabbing the keys to their shared van and helping the others gently get Vriska out of the dorm. “What’s our lie going to be? We can’t exactly tell them some crazy asshat broke her arm inside a computer.”

“Fell off a ladder will work. Let’s hurry!” John answered, panicking at the sight of Vriska being in such a state.

Dave watched some of the others leave, and then gave in to sleep on the couch. He was completely exhausted.

__

Dave came to several hours later, a bit disoriented from taking a nap at such an odd hour. At any rate, he felt better than before, actually being able to stand for a change. He could see Tavros looking down at his legs, now back to their normal, crippled selves. Equius was still fast asleep on the floor, and Jade was sitting on the other side of the sofa from Dave. Once she saw he was awake, she leaned over and rested his head on his shoulder.

“Dave… I’m scared.” Jade whispered after a moment of silence.

“Scared?” Dave asked. Jade wasn’t one who admitted to fright very easily. “Of?”

“Just… Seeing Gamzee snap her arm… Made me think of what we’re up against. He’s playing us and he knows it. He’s got his own plan, and I bet we’re playing right into what he wants. And it scares me… if he’s so far ahead of us, what’s to stop him from just killing us when we’ve outlived our usefulness?”

“If us using Personas is useful, then I think we’ll just have to get more powerful.” Dave answered. “Then we can surprise him with an ass-kicking when he tries to get rid of us.”

“I hope you’re right.” Jade replied, tightening her grip on his arm. “I’m proud of you.”

“For?” 

“I know you said it’s not your style to be a leader, but you’d deal with it as best as you could. And I think you’re doing wonderfully.” Jade said, closing her eyes. “You know just what to say to keep things under control, or to keep me from being too frightened… I’m proud of you.”

Dave couldn’t help but smile. He leaned his head against hers, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Yeah, well… Being a big badass in charge is great and all, but… I guess even I would be lost without my faithful squad of losers.” 

“Oh hush, you’re the loser!” Jade teased back, giggling. “But you’re my loser.”

__

Once they had sufficiently recovered from their time in the computer, Dave and a few others decided to visit Vriska in the hospital. 

John was sitting at her bedside, watching TV and chatting with Vriska when Dave, Jade and Rose entered. “Hey, guys.”

“Sup, Egbert. How’s our spider queen doing? Did she bite off your head off yet?” Dave asked jokingly to lighten the mood.

“That’s preying mantises.” John replied.

“No, some spiders too.” Vriska corrected. If anyone knew about spiders, it would be her. “Anyway, thanks for dropping by guys, but you don’t have to do this. You’ve all got stuff to do.”

“You just don’t get it, hm?” Jade asked. “You’re our friend, we were worried, we came to see you.”

“Yeah, well…” Vriska replied, smiling slightly. “Doctor said it’s looking like it’ll be fixed up in about six weeks or so. So I’ll be in a cast until then. Which means, try not to kill Gamzee before I get a piece of him.”

Dave chuckled. “Yeah, well, I think he generally stays away if the kidnappee isn’t going to accept their shadows. Who’s left?”

“Kanaya, Sollux, and Karkat.” Vriska replied. “Why?”

“I’m wondering what will happen once he’s gotten everybody.” Dave replied. “I wonder what his goal is. It’s obvious he gets some kind of sick kick out of this whole thing, but I don’t think that’s the entirety of it.”

“Neither do I.” Vriska said. “I guess it’s just something we’ll have to beat out of him.”

“We’ll catch him, don’t worry.” John assured her.

“You’re damn right we will.” Vriska answered. “And when we do… I might just give him a taste of his own medicine. He’s not the only one who can snap an arm.”

The entire group knew that Vriska wasn’t kidding, especially about something she felt so strongly about. Her dislike for Gamzee was great indeed, to some degree of disturbance in the others. Regardless, as one of the more powerful members of the team, Vriska had been instrumental in pointing Gamzee out in the first place. She had a right to be angry after all that Gamzee had done, after all. 

“We’ll figure it out when we get him in our clutches.” Rose agreed. “We’re going to get Aradia over most likely tomorrow to introduce her into our little group of justice fighters. Get some rest, Vriska. I’m sure you need it.”

“Thanks.” Vriska replied, waving while keeping her eyes on the TV.

“Later, Vriska.” Dave added. Jade merely waved.

The group returned to the dorm, still as confused about the Gamzee situation as they had always been.


	26. Attack of the Fillertron 6000

The Thanksgiving break brought with it a chance for respite for the group. Brief as it was, the ‘gang’ (as Dave had come to call them) was collectively determined to get the most out of the short break.

Their first task was educating Aradia on the Persona situation; a talk that she was obviously excited to have. Before they got to speak, they had her, Terezi, and Dave enter the computer to identify Aradia’s strengths and weaknesses using Terezi’s Persona. They awoke an hour after entering the computer, as was normal, and got acclimated to the real world once more.

“So? What do we know?” Rose asked, standing next to her beloved whiteboard with marker in hand.

Terezi rubbed her eyes and stood up, placing her glasses back on her face. “As far as elements go, pretty simple. Weak to Hama, Strong against Mudo.” She answered.

“And otherwise?”

“Well, her Persona’s pretty much an indestructible fortress.” Terezi continued. “Feferi was already a tank as she was, but Aradia takes it to a whole new level.”

Aradia merely giggled and waved.

“You should have seen it, though. Shit was crazy.” Dave said. “Hades has those two arms that he can close around her to form an iron maiden around her just like her shadow. The shadows we were fighting couldn’t touch her no matter what they tried.”

“It drains me more the longer I’m in it, but that’s okay!” Aradia exclaimed. “I can just hole up when things are bad and take the hits for everyone. I’ll be less injured than if I had stood up to the full force of an attack anyway.”

“Sounds incredibly useful.” Rose remarked as she jotted down her notes on the whiteboard. 

“So what will we be doing?” Aradia asked, excited to get to work.

“Well, nothing yet.” Rose answered. “We stand by until Gamzee kidnaps someone.”

“Yeah, and you see what that gets us.” Dave interjected. “We nearly got our ass kicked by her shadow. I think we need to send everyone in even when there’s no one there.”

Rose smirked. “Dave, are you suggesting we train?”

“If that’s what keeps my ass from getting roasted, then yeah.” Dave answered.

“Very well then. I’ll talk to the others about it.” Rose agreed.

”Now that the work talk is over, it’s time to talk about how we’re going to spend the break.” Dave began. “And by that I mean have fun here, Sollux got the old school Tony Hawk at his dorm so me and Dirk are gonna go and kick his ass at it.”

“Oh. You don’t want to do anything just the two of us?” Jade asked from the kitchen. She was making a few bowls of noodles for everyone in the living area.

“I was thinking we could save that kind of thing for Christmas.” Dave replied. “You can come play Tony Hawk too though.”

“If you’re sure.” Jade answered, smiling and bringing the noodles to everyone.

“Nepeta actually invited me to play S&M with her and Equius!” Aradia announced happily, earning her awkward looks from everyone in the room. “Swords and Magicks? The pen and paper game?”

“Oh.” Dave said. “They really need to rename that game.”

“Yeah. Nepeta says she wants a sixth person though.” Aradia mentioned, just as Roxy descended the stairs seeking the scent of noodles.

“Sixth person for what, love?” Roxy asked, having missed most of the conversation.

“Nepeta invited me over for S&M. I’ve never done it before but it sounds fun!” Aradia answered.

“A session with six people?” Roxy asked, blinking in disbelief. “I’ll be your sixth if you think the others won’t mind! I don’t think they’ll mind me.”

“I don’t think so either.” Aradia answered. “It’ll be at our dorm at 7, so don’t be late!”

“Alrighty, see you then! Oh, I better go get dressed!” Roxy said excitedly, ascending the stairs as quickly as she had came down.

Aradia stood and headed to the door. “I guess I better go too. Goodbye, everyone! Thanks for all the help!”

As soon as Aradia was gone and Roxy was out of earshot, Dave simply couldn’t contain himself anymore and fell to the ground in laughter. Even the normally stalwart Rose doubled over from giggling uncontrollably.

Dave wiped a tear from his and sat up, his side still hurting from his little episode. “I just… There’s just a certain element of comedy you can’t get from TV, you know? This shit writes itself.”

Rose giggled a bit more before regaining her composure. “Yes, well... I certainly hope you all have fun. I think I’ll relax at home. At least for now.”

“If that’s what you want.” Dave responded. “C’mon, Jade, I think Dirk’s already there.”

“Kay!” Jade replied, grabbing her jacket and following him out of the dorm.

___

Dave noted that the dorm belonging to Vriska and the others was much like their own, besides the fact that it was far messier. He remembered Equius saying that he and Kanaya made attempts to clean the place, but between the two of them and ten others, the dorm tended to get messy just as quickly. 

Sollux poked his head from upstairs, speaking with his characteristic lisp. “Hey, it’s set up. Come check it out.”

Dave nodded and held Jade’s hand on the way up the stairs out of habit. They had only been dating for around two months, but since then they had become nearly inseparable. It was as Jade had hoped; Dave still managed to be his normal cool kid self for the most part, but it was the little things like the hand holding up the stairs that made it more than just a close friendship.

As expected, Sollux’s setup was quite astonishing. Four monitors hung from his wall, each being a fourth of a single compound display. This made it perfect for split screen play. Dave hardly had time to hang out with Sollux since he had nothing to do with the Persona situation (yet), but his screen set up was quite the incentive to do otherwise.

“Got my hands on Pro Skater 3.” Sollux said, booting up his system and tossing a controller to everyone. 

“Solid choice.” Dirk responded. “Hope you’re ready to lose.”

“Oh, please.” Sollux retorted, taking a seat in a leather chair. Dave wondered where he got all the money to afford such things.

“Well, you know what they say about beginner’s luck!” Jade added, smiling as they began their game.

__

“Okay, did everyone finish their sheets?” Nepeta asked, donned in a regal costume robe and a fake crown. Sitting at the table was Equius, Eridan, Aradia and Terezi, with an empty chair reserved for Roxy.

“Everyone but Roxy! She’s not here yet.” Aradia answered. As if on cue, Roxy opened the front door, wearing a fur coat.

“Sup, bitches?” Roxy asked, grinning. She was clearly drunk, but that didn’t seem to be the reason she had such a big grin on her face. “Am I the only one who’s already dressed?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Nepeta asked.

Roxy smirked and opened her fur coat, revealing a skimpy leather bustier and other associated garments. 

Eridan’s jaw could practically be heard dropping. Equius began losing blood from the news, and Nepeta simply stared in utter shock. Terezi turned her head, ‘looking’ all over. “Why did it get so quiet?”

Aradia giggled. “Aw, Roxy, it’s nothing like that! I guess I should have clarified that before you left the dorm! I meant Swords and Magicks.”

“Oh. Huh.” Roxy mentioned, looking down at her pushed-up chest. “Guess I overdressed, huh? My bad!”

“I… I need a towel!” Equius declared, getting up and running (rather oddly) to get a towel. Eridan merely fainted.

One change of clothing and several hand towels later, everyone was finally seated and dressed appropriately. “Okay! Now that THAT is over, is everyone done with their sheets?”

Everyone nodded and presented their sheets. 

Nepeta smiled and read over them. “Now, the Grand Pouncilor decrees that you introduce yourselves to your mewfound allies!”

Equius cleared his throat. “My character is Arveldir, High Elven archer and servant to the holy temple of the Grand Pouncilor.”

Terezi, who had Aradia write down her info for her, spoke from memory. “Titania, Dark Elf Paladin and seeker of justice!”

Roxy held up her sheet. “You can call me Rozzlal the Magnificent, feared wizard in every corner of the world!”

Eridan adjusted his glasses. “I am the naga alchemist, Richard Johnson. I hail from th-“

“Hang on, Ampurra. Richard Johnson?” Nepeta asked. Roxy giggled at the name.

“Well, yes. Richard Johnson was a real life alchemist! Know your history!” Eridan protested.

“Pft… Dick Dick.” Roxy mumbled, trying not to laugh too hard.

“Well, I guess that’s fine…” Nepeta conceded. “Aradia, what about you? What’s your character’s name?”

“Aradia.” Replied Aradia. “Isn’t it pretty?”

“Your character’s name is Aradia?” Eridan asked. 

Terezi slapped Eridan on the back of the head. “Shut up, Dick.”

“But yes.” Aradia continued. “Aradia is a Wood Elf ranger.”

“Very well!” Nepeta announced, dramatically raising her arms. The sleeves on her robe were too long for her arms, so the sleeves simply hung limply over her hands. “You find yourselves gathered at the local tavern. Lately, the city of Neprock has been plagued by zombie attacks in the night. You hear a yarn about the captain of the guard dispensing a reward fur the head of the necromancer that is summoning the beasts. Purrhaps it would be a good idea to investigate such a rumor!”

“Good idea! I ask the bartender about where we can find the guard captain.” Aradia said.

”Roll for charisma check!” Nepeta commanded.

Aradia picked up a D20 and rolled it across the table. It landed on 16, a success.

“The bartender tells you that the guard captain can be found near the city gate before his shift ends. You should hurry befur the sun sets!”

“Very well. We set out to the city gate.” Equius spoke. Everyone agreed. 

“You reach the city gate, which has been barricaded fur some time now. You recognize the guard captain because of his fancier uniform. He sees that you are all armed and waves you over.” 

Terezi raised her hand. “I wanna talk to him this time!”

Nepeta nodded. “Okay! You walk over to the guard captain. He asks for your help; the zombies are staging another attack and he needs help defending his position!”

“We gladly accept!” Terezi declared. “I leap over the barricade and prepare for battle.”

“Ooh, me too!” Aradia added. 

“Titania and Aradia are now assembled on the other side of the barricade with the other footsoldiers.” Nepeta said, reading the description and stats for zombies. “You see a horde of zombies approaching, and two each come directly at you. Roll for initiative!”

Terezi grabbed a die and rubbed it to make sure it was a D20, then tossed it. It came up as a 20. Aradia did the same, rolling a 5.

“Alright, move order is Titania, zombies, Aradia.” Nepeta said. “The others can assist with their ranged attacks first!”

Roxy made a grab for the die. “In that case, I’ll launch a fireball.”

“But a fireball could light the barricades on fire.” Nepeta advised.

“I. Launch. A. Fireball.” Roxy insisted.

“Um, okay.” Nepeta conceded, handing Roxy the die. Roxy tossed the die, which came up as a critical failure. “Sorry, Rozzlal, but it’s a critical failure.”

“What’s the worse that could happen?” Roxy asked, shrugging and sipping a martini. No one knew where she got it, since she hadn’t stood up since the game began.

“Umm…” Nepeta began, reading the critical failure chart. “Your fireball goes wildly off course. It explodes on the ground near the barricade. The flames hurt Titania and Aradia for 4 points each, and kill two of the zombies. The flames spread to the barricades and some of the guard towers go up in smoke too. Some of the stationed guards burn to death and leave their children as poor little orphans.”

“Woo, I killed two at once!” Roxy exclaimed, giggling.

Equius took his turn to roll the dice. “In an effort to repair the situation, I draw my bow, silently send a prayer to the Grand Pouncilor, and draw an arrow. I pour my desperation and desire for victory into the shot, and as I let fly I-“

“4. You missed.” Nepeta said.

“Oh.”

“Time for magic of science to show you fools how to handle zombies.” Eridan said, checking his inventory. “I toss a flask of acid at the zombie horde.” He decided, rolling the dice.

“The flask explodes on a zombie’s face and corrodes his skin. He takes 2 points of damage and will take one more ever round.” Nepeta read aloud.

“Well, it’s better than missing.” 

“Alright, now it’s time for Titania’s attack.” Nepeta said.

“I slice right at the nearest zombie with my greatsword!” Terezi declared, tossing the die in the wrong direction. The die fell on the ground, landing on ‘3’.

“Umm…” Nepeta began, feeling bad. “20 again! Critical hit. You swing your sword and lop off the zombie’s head. The head goes flying and hits the zombie that’s burning from Dick’s-“

“Richard!”

“Um, Richard’s acid.” Nepeta continued. “The zombie falls over from the force of the flying head. Zombie turn!”

“Here we go! Oh, I hope I don’t die!” Aradia exclaimed giddily.

“The zombie that’s still attacking Titania swings his claws at her.” Nepeta said. Terezi grinned in delight, awaiting the outcome with excitement. Nepeta rolled the die, and it came out to a 20; an attack that would probably kill Titania. Nepeta looked at the others, shrugged, and then spoke. “The zombie rolls an 11. Titania loses one hit point.”

“And mine?” Aradia asked, smiling after what Nepeta did for Terezi.

“He rolls a 7.” Nepeta answered. “Miss.” 

“My turn! I brandish my whip and politely ask him to leave!” 

“It’s a bloodthirsty monster, Aradia.” Eridan pointed out. “Shouldn’t you just kill it?”

“No, that’d be terrible! I ask him to leave.”

“Um…” Nepeta said, rubbing her forehead. “I guess that’s a charisma check? Roll for charisma.”

“Okay!” Aradia said, rolling the die. It came up with 18, and with her character’s charisma modifier, it bumped the final roll to 20.

Nepeta blinked. “Um… okay. The zombie realizes the error of his ways and decides to go back home to rest in peace with his zombie wife.”

“Yay!” Aradia exclaimed, giggling.

 

“How many zombies are left?” Eridan asked, seemingly annoyed.

“Um… Nine.” Nepeta replied.

Eridan laid his head on the table. “Great.”

__

Vriska entered the dorm with John, her left arm wrapped up in a cast. “Thanks, John.” She muttered. Her injury had put her in quite a sour mood; if there was one thing that made her upset, it was feeling powerless, or at least less than capable. Having to depend on others made her quite anxious as well.

“No problem. Whatever helps!” John answered. “Oh, hey Tavros.” He said as he saw Tavros sitting in the living room with Rose, who was reading something on her laptop. 

“Hey, John.” Tavros said, next looking to Vriska. “Not so fun, is it?” 

“Fuck off.” Vriska muttered, turning her eyes elsewhere.

“Alright, that’s fine. Let me know if you need a hand.” 

“Soooo, Rose, whatcha reading there?” John said, trying to keep Vriska from beating the crap out of Tavros with her good arm by switching topics.

“Something that Roxy wrote, actually. She’s quite talented.” Rose answered.

“Well, as much as I’d love to be part of the book club, there’s got to be something we can do around here, John.” Vriska mentioned, heading to the kitchen and searching the various cabinets.

“What are you looking for?” John asked. 

“Well, Roxy’s got to have a stash around here somewhere, right?” Vriska asked, checking behind the fridge. “She never runs out.”

“I dunno. We’ve never actually looked for it. Never had a reason to.”

“Well, I think I’ve earned a drink.” Vriska said, tapping her cast. “So help me look.”

“Oh, this I must to see.” Rose said as John and Vriska went upstairs. 

Tavros tilted his head. “How come?” 

“The last time any of us ingested alcohol, John and Vriska made complete fools of themselves. That was before they got… intimate, but regardless, this should be entertaining.”

“Vriska, acting like a complete fool?” Tavros asked. “Rose, get me upstairs.”

__

“So, what are we going see again?” Jake asked. He was glad that Jane talked him into going to the movies with her, Feferi and Kanaya. He and Dirk had been growing distant over the last few days and the already short-lived relationship seemed to be doomed. He needed some time to get it off his mind. 

“Some horror movie, I think?” Feferi answered. “We’ll figure it out when we get there. I’m kind of winging it here.”

“I fail to recall the title as well.” Kanaya mentioned. “Really, this whole venture lacks for planning. They’ll let us in, won’t they?”

“Yeah. The theater doesn’t really care about age restrictions. Granted, they wouldn’t let a kid into an R rated movie, but when it comes to people our age, they’re a little more lenient.” Feferi clarified.

“I suppose I don’t go often enough.” Kanaya guessed.

“Not to worry, I’m sure it won’t be a big deal.” Jane said.

__

“Sollux, dude, it’s not going to work.” Dave muttered as his on-screen skater landed a simple street combo. 

“Trust me, this shit works. I did it the other day.” Sollux shot back, concentrating on his screen as he attempted to exploit a glitch in the stage that would let him reach a normally inaccessible area full of test objects.

Dirk remained silent as he skillfully pulled off tricks in a half-pipe. He was quite the opposite from Dave, preferring vert maneuvers over street maneuvers. With mere seconds left on the clock, the two were trying to pull off as many high-scoring combos as they possibly could to try and edge ahead. Sollux could have easily won if he hadn’t tried to abuse the glitches in the level.

Soon enough, an alarm sounded, indicating the end of the round. Dave and Dirk placed their controllers down and watched the scores tally up. Dave groaned when his score bar stopped just short of Dirk’s, but was then surprised to see another score bar stop several thousand points ahead of Dirk’s. Jade’s name filled the screen and she was declared winner of the match, and then a few replays of her best runs played.

Dirk’s jaw dropped. “I thought you said you never played before?”

”Never, I swear!” Jade proclaimed in her defense. “Seriously, it’s not too hard. I picked it up easy.”

“That’s putting it lightly.” Sollux muttered.

Dave grinned, put his arms around Jade’s shoulder, and looked at the others. “And you can’t have her.” 

Jade simply giggled, gave him a hug, and looked back at the others. “So, who’s ready for round two?”

__

“You find yourself in a dark hallway in the necromancer’s dungeon.” Nepeta read, drawing a quick diagram of the explored dungeon so far. “Something disturbs you about the room. You should be carefurl before purroceeding!”

“You say that before every room we enter!” Eridan protested. “I walk forward to the next room.”

“Ampurraaaaaa.” Nepeta said, narrowing her eyes. “You really shouldn’t!”

“I. Walk. Forward.” Eridan stated firmly. He had grown increasingly irritable over the course of the game, much to the annoyance of everyone else.

Nepeta rolled her eyes and rolled some dice. Once she saw the result, she grinned evilly. “As you walk forward, a brick on the floor sinks down as your weight is put on it. Suddenly a guillotine erupts from the wall and slices you in half right at the waist! The adventuring career of Dick Dick…”

“Richard Johnson!”

“Richard Johnson, is now over!” Nepeta declared. 

“Though we grieve the loss of our comrade, I insist that we press on. I check for traps.” Equius decided.

“Well, fine!” Eridan said, standing. He mumbled something about “being tired anyway” as he walked away.

Nepeta rolled her eyes and then subsequently rolled the dice. Arveldir successfully found and disabled the rest of the traps in the hallway.

“You step over one half of your furmer comrade and kick the other half away as you go down the hall. You open the door at the end of it, and inside the room, you find…”

“A bow worthy of an archer of the highest birthright?”

“A fuckton of spellbooks?”

“Gold-plated, diamond-studded scales of justice?”

“Dead things?”

“Um…” Nepeta replied. “Nope, you have found the necromancer’s lair!” she explained, drawing a square room then drawing a circle to represent the necromancer. “He cackles from his throne and tells you that your doom is eminent!”

After a quick roll for initiative, Terezi got the first move. “I cry out for him to face justice, then charge right at him with my blade!” she declared, rolling a 20; which would normally result in a near-certain death for the enemy. 

Nepeta looked at the others and nodded, in the general interest of keeping the confrontation long and epic. “You roll a 13, and scrape him with the tip of your blade. He angrily retaliates with a blast of furce and sends you back. You take no damage but you’re a little stunned.”

Next was Aradia. “I brandish my whip and swish it at his alchemy table, so I can get rid of all his potions!”

Roxy clapped. “Good idea!”

Aradia’s roll was successful and she was able to wreck the potions on the table. His method of creating zombies was gone, at least temporarily.

“The Necromancer angrily lashes out at the puddle of potion with his magic and creates a liquid monster out of what was left. The monster roars and attacks!” Nepeta said, rolling the dice. Aradia was able to dodge, albeit barely.

“I am certain that if we defeat the necromancer, his minion shall die along with him.” Equius concluded. “I draw my bow, instill my normal brand of fervent devotion and faith, and let fly an arrow.”

Nepeta rolled and declared the shot to be a hit. “The arrow pierces the necromancer’s shoulder and does moderate damage.”

The monster moved next and kicked Titania away, inflicting moderate damage on her as well.

Roxy took a look at her sheet and her available spells. “Fireball.”

“But it’s a small room! Full of flammable things!” Nepeta warned.

“Fireball.”

“But…”

“Fireball.”

“Okay, okay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Nepeta said, rolling the dice. She rolled a natural 20, to Roxy’s delight and Nepeta’s annoyance.

“Okay. Great.” Nepeta mumbled. “Not only does your fireball manage to avoid hitting anything flammable in the room due to some sort of mewraculous, divine intervention, it successfully remains small enough to only hit the necromancer and light him on fire. You hear the sounds of burning robes, bubbling flesh, and muffled screams as he collapses on the ground along with his monster. Yaaaayyy.”

Roxy simply giggled.

And with that, the adventurers were successful in stopping the necromancer menace. The town of Neprock, though mostly ashes and cinders at this point, was safe from zombies and the like. The group of adventurers, though they were always remembered for their destructive tendencies, garnered a reputation for getting shit done. Now level 2, they were ready for the next adventure… when their players got together some other night.

__

”You know, I have a theeeeoorry.” Rose slurred, rubbing her forehead and placing a martini glass aside. 

“Oh yeah?” Vriska asked, her face red. “What’sh the theory about?”

“It’s… It’s a theory about why you’re such a total bitch.” Rose continued, laying her head on the back of the sofa in the living room.

“Oh, you… you… you probably got it right.” Vriska replied. “But at leasht I’m pretty.”

John and Tavros, completely sober, simply exchanged glances. “I never thought Rose would be the type to drink.”

“I knew Vriska was.” Tavros replied. “Where’d they find this stuff again?”

“I don’t know, I wasn’t there when they found it.”

“But the worst part is… is that you… you such are a bitch to John.” Rose mumbled. “You should be a nice lady.”

“I… what? No. No no no. No, I’m not mean at John. He looooooooves me.” 

“I bet you can’t… can’t even kiss right.” Rose said, rather insultingly.

“Yes I can! I can totally kiss good.” Vriska said, sitting up and glaring at Rose. 

“Bull… bull… Bull crap.” Rose responded, rolling her eyes. In retaliation, Vriska leapt forward and pounced on Rose, beginning a sloppy makeout session. 

John’s jaw fell so hard that it almost became dislocated. Tavros had a similar, yet less severe reaction.

“Should we…” Tavros asked.

“No! Um… I mean, no. I think… I think it’d be funny. A funny story, yeah.” 

Tavros rolled his eyes. “Right. Well, I think this is an indication that I should probably go to bed.” He said, rolling away.

“Yeah… Uh, good night.” John answered, unable to rip his eyes away from the spectacle.

__

In the dark of the movie theater, it was hard to tell where other people were. So it was quite a surprise when Jane jumped during a startling point of the movie and her hand flew back, landing right on Jake’s chest. Her very first thought was how hard it was; it was like placing your hand on solid stone. If Jane’s face was visible at the moment, it would have been completely red.

“Oh! Sorry…” Jane muttered, moving her hand away slowly. 

“Not a problem.” Jake whispered, oblivious to the romantic connotations behind what she had just done. “Too frightening?”

“What?” Jane asked. She had been momentarily lost in thought. Jake looked rather average as far as muscle went, yet he apparently had the pecs of a bronzed god; it was almost too much for Jane’s mind to handle. “Oh, no. It was just a little startling.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” Jake responded, offering her the popcorn.

“Thanks…” Jane muttered. Of course, that was what she said aloud; in her head she was cursing herself quite profusely, angry at her inability to say anything or make a move. It would be quite a boring night after such a folly.

__

By the time Dave, Jade and Dirk had returned to the dorm, it was already in the early hours of the morning. There was a small stain near the couch, as if someone had spilled something.

“I wonder what went on.” Dirk asked. 

“Who knows?” Jade said, going to grab something to clean up the stain.

Dave merely smirked and chuckled. “I bet the others were bored as hell tonight.”


	27. Dorm for Christmas

In no time, the Christmas season had come upon the kids, and after harrowing finals of their Fall semester, they finally had some real time off with winter break. Since the foreign exchange students had nowhere to go back to, and the others simply didn’t want to make a trip back and spend time without their friends, the whole gang got to spend their time among one another on the school campus.

Jane and Roxy had painstakingly set up the Christmas tree in the living area with decorations from each of their friends; a seashell from Feferi, a ball of yarn from Nepeta, a few baubles from everyone else, and even a little crab ornament from Karkat.

It was obvious that Karkat was aware that something odd was going on; it was hard to see otherwise, especially with people slipping in-and-out of comas systematically. It was a downright miracle that Gamzee had struck during the night so that it was easy to hide from the others who weren’t aware of the Persona situation. Dave knew it was either him, Kanaya, or Sollux who would go in next. He even considered telling the remaining three about the danger, but he knew such a decision would have to go past Rose first. Rose seemed to be quite out of sorts recently, as was Vriska; doubly so when the two were in the same room as each other. No one knew why except for John and Tavros, and neither wanted to say why.

Regardless, he was determined to have a good time during the Holdiays, since he barely got to celebrate his, Jade’s, and Rose’s subsequent birthdays that had all taken place over the course of finals. He had gotten a few neat gifts; a lovely pair of golden-rimmed shades from Jade (that he decided to wear with formal wear), a few vintage movie soundtracks on vinyl from John, and a custom-knit scarf from Rose. He looked forward to the rewards of the yuletide. 

“Hey, Dave?” Jade called from the sofa facing the TV. Dave looked up from his bowl of noodles. “What are we doing Christmas Eve?”

Dave blinked. He had forgotten that it was already the 23rd. “I don’t know. I think Egbert’s taking Spiderbitch out somewh-”

“I mean the two of us. I was thinking we could spend time together, just the two of us.” Jade corrected, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

“Oh. Yeah, that’d be pretty dope.” Dave replied, trying not to blush.

Jade smiled and hugged him tight from behind. “You can drop the cool-kid act to tell me you love me really quick, can’t you?”

“Act? What act?” Dave asked, turning around in her grasp and smiling down at her.

“Smartass.” She replied as she got up on her tiptoes to kiss him. 

They embraced for only a moment before they were interrupted by a cough. “Hey, other people live here, you know.” Said Roxy with a giggle as she went to sit down and read a book. 

Dave rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah. What with Dirk and Jake under the roof and John having Vriska on his lap 24/7, I don’t think we’re that big of a deal.”

“Umm… Don’t talk about Dirk and Jake, yeah?” Roxy asked politely, somehow having a glass in her hand that wasn’t there before. “That’s over and you know how it is.”

“Dirk’s a heartbreaker, hm?” Jade asked, pulling away from Dave after patting his hip. 

“Seems like it. All he needs is to date Roxy and he makes the full trifecta.” Dave mentioned.

Roxy hiccupped and looked at Dave with an unamused look on her face. 

“Message received.” Dave responded. 

“Aaaanyway, so it’s a date?” Jade asked, grasping Dave’s hands. 

“Yeah, but what are we even doing?”

Jade shrugged. “Doesn’t matter! We’ll figure something out.”

__

As expected, by the time Christmas Eve rolled around, they had nothing figured out. Jade took a seat on Dave’s lap on the sofa and wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging gently. “So…”

“Did you think of anything?” Dave asked, looking down at her. 

“I did…” she began, her face immediately reddening. 

Dave tilted an eyebrow, waiting for her to make her suggestion.

“Um…” she continued. “Can we, ah… can we go up to your room?”

Her question caught Dave completely off-guard and flustered him greatly. His face went a similar red to Jade’s. “Ah…” he began. He knew he couldn’t fuck this up. If Jade had what he thought in mind, he had to be careful, mindful, and respectful. “Ah, yeah. Yeah, if that’s what you want, then why not?”

Jade smiled as if relieved, her overbite (and oh, how he loved her overbite!) showing prominently. “Alright. Let’s go?”

“Yeah.” Dave agreed, leading her upstairs. 

__

Jade had been in his room before, but this time it was different. There was an entirely different aura to the situation. It was rather awkward, yet endearing of a moment. 

Dave sat next to her on the bed. Jade had her hands locked and her head down. “Dave?” she asked, looking at him.

“What’s up?”

“Have I ever told you how much better you’ve made my life, just being here?” she asked.

“A few times, yeah.” Dave responded.

“No, but really.” Jade insisted. “I don’t know what I would do without you. I don’t know what ANY of us would do! I know you don’t like hearing it, but I think you need to hear it anyway. I don’t think you get thanked enough.”

Dave, unwilling to argue the point, simply smiled and took her hand. “Thanks, Jade.”

“No, thank you, Dave.” Jade corrected. “Thank you for being the best person ever.” She added, looking at him and placing her hand on his chest. “Best boyfriend too.”

Dave merely reclined back slowly as she pushed him down, taking her place on his lap.

“I love you.”

Dave spent a long time with Jade that night.

__

Everything seemed more alive after spending the night with Jade. Sure, it was a little awkward for both of them, but to have revealed so much of themselves to each other really did wonders for bringing them closer together. It made Christmas morning all the sweeter, especially with the sight of presents to and from everyone in attendance.

“You two seem to be in high spirits.” Rose commented to Dave, referring to him and Jade.

“Yeah, well, life is good.” Dave replied, grinning. 

Rose left it at that and turned her head to everyone entering the dorm; the entire foreign exchange dorm entered and found ways to situate themselves. 

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” John announced, holding a cup of hot chocolate with a little spider on the face. “Since no one wanted to do it, I’m gonna be passing out the presents today! I hope Santa was kind to everyone!”

And indeed it was so. Among one of the most valued gifts of the night was the several flowers that Jade had grown herself, one for each of her friends. Dave had contributed with his own handmade gifts, a simple mix or song for everyone. It was easy, something that he was good at, and something that was simple to enjoy.

Once the exchanging of gifts was complete, everyone was treated to dinner courtesy of Jane and Feferi, who had both collaborated to bring a nice full-course meal to everyone. Between ham, dinner rolls, and cake, not a single soul was left hungry that night.

The night passed by quickly after such fun and festivities, and Dave met Jade upstairs to talk about whatever they wanted to talk about by the fireplace.

“Aw, that was great.” Jade said. “It was so good to see everyone!”

“Think everyone had a good time?” Dave asked, holding a bottle of apple juice in his hand. Everyone thought it was silly that he was drinking apple juice on a day where hot chocolate and eggnog were abound, but then again, only Dave could appreciate the divine and subtle taste of AJ.

Jade nodded. “Of course! Even Karkat smiled once or twice.”

“Prolly cause my gift was kickass.” Dave teased.

“Hey, mine was good too!”

Dave nodded. “Yeah, your gift was pretty cool. Must have taken a while.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Jade replied. “I’ve been growing them for weeks to make sure they were all perfect!”

“Well, they came out pretty damn great.” Dave told her, rotating his little potted plant on the table in front of them.

Jade smiled. “You know… I think I’ve realized something. Something about myself.” 

“What’s that?”

“I think I do have talent. Not just like the normal sense, though. I mean I have a talent when it comes to making my friends happy. And that’s a great thing to have. I love seeing smiles on faces, and it’s even better if I know I’m the one that put it there.” She said. “I think it makes doing all the work worthwhile. Makes me feel like I’m doing some good. It’s a lovely feeling, and I love that about myself.”

Dave nodded, then turned his head suddenly as Jade was suddenly bathed in a blue light. Before her appeared Hypnos, floating before her. In a flash, Hypnos disappeared and gave way to a new figure; a white wolf clad in silver armor with green accents. Sparks of electricity crackled around the dog and gave it a dangerous, unstable look.

The wolf persona vanished and turned back into a card, which Jade took hold of. “Sirius.” She muttered as the blue light faded away from her. Dave was thankful that no one was around to see that event, especially one of the three that weren’t aware of the Persona situation.

“Wow…” Jade whispered as she stared at her hands. “You know, they really aren’t kidding when they say our Personas are just another side of ourselves. And they change just like we do.”

Dave smiled. “Whatever just happened, it was pretty badass.” 

“And I bet I can pick up the pace in the computer more now. Hopefully that isn’t any time soon, but I’ll be ready whenever we need to be.”

“Yeah, well…” Dave began, taking one of her hands. “Let’s just chill for now. Last thing I want to think about is the computer world.”

“I know.” Jade replied, smiling. “Just a sec!” she added, pulling away and running off. She came back moments later with something behind her back. Once she was close enough to Dave, she revealed that in her hands she held a branch of mistletoe, holding it above their heads. “Gotcha!”

Dave grinned. How could he say no to that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that ended up being a lot more shippy than I had intended, but hey.
> 
> Anyway, college is back in swing, so expect updates to slow. Still, only 9 chapters to go!


	28. The Marble Labyrinth

Dave woke up late for yet another alarm-less morning. Really, it could barely be considered morning; it was 11:33 as shown on his clock. Fixing his sleep schedule before school resumed was going to be quite the ordeal, but as was typical during breaks like this, he really didn’t care.

He checked his calendar next. Once again, Dave’s typical behavior during breaks often caused him to forget what day it was. December 31st, according to his trusty calendar; New Years Eve, which meant even MORE opportunity for social interaction, parties, and awkward drunkenness from people other than Roxy. 

Indeed, when he reached the ground floor, he saw that the other residents of the dorm were already at work with taking down the Christmas decorations (except for Dave’s fancy Santa; that thing stayed where it was, no exceptions) and setting up more temporary decorations for the New Years party that night. 

“So, the others are going to come around 11 tonight.” Jade told John. “So I think Jane and I can start making food and stuff later tonight. We’ll have plenty of free time before it’s time.” 

“Right.” John agreed, looking up. “Oh, hey Dave!”

“Mornin.” Dave replied, heading straight for the coffee maker. 

Jade pushed him an already-made cup of coffee before he made it. “Good afternoon, silly.” She responded with a laugh. “You take a while to wake up.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t rush perfection.” Dave replied as he took a sip. “We need a new coffee maker. Man, the coffee this thing makes is shitty.”

”Lots of sugar?” Jade suggested.

“Fucking right, lots of sugar.” Dave replied as he made a reach for the sugar.

“Don’t you think this odd sleeping schedule is at least a bit detrimental, David?” Rose asked, sipping on her own coffee.

“Man, you’re right. I’m suddenly convinced, on account of not caring.” Dave replied without looking at her. 

Rose laughed and rolled her eyes and turned back to the book she was reading. “This was all quite entertaining, but I think I’m looking forward to starting school again.”

“It was pretty fun.” John agreed, though he blushed as he remembered what happened that fateful night. “I’ll miss it.”

“No worries, pretty soon we’ll be elbow-deep in fucking shadows and test grades alike.” Dave concluded.

__

The day passed by unbelievably slow by Dave’s standards, until finally 11 PM finally arrived and their fellows from the foreign exchange dorm finally headed over. Dave noticed that Vriska no longer had her cast on, but she still would need some time to fully regain control of her arm. The others followed in: Nepeta and Equius, Aradia, Tavros, Terezi, Feferi and Eridan, Sollux, and even Karkat. Dave was surprised that Karkat had become at least a little more social as of late; though Gamzee’s ‘disappearance’ hit him hard, he was at least trying to make an effort to move on.

Punch was served, food was prepped and laid out for free pickings, music was played, and Roxy mysteriously obtained alcohol. The party was what Dave had come to expect with his group of friends, and it was nice. Having only Rose in his list of ‘nearby people who I can actually stand’ tended to get stale quickly. As the laws of his cool exterior would have it, he would never say anything about how much he appreciated having the others around. Except maybe to Jade. There was nothing he could hide from her at this point. 

John called the party over to the TV, where pre-aired footage of the ball in Times Square dropping was being shown. Though they could have watched the live footage a few hours back (“Time zones are a bitch”, as Dave would say), it felt more realistic and fun to welcome the New Year in their time.

Jade grasped Dave’s hands and watched the drop excitedly. “I’ve always wanted to do this!” she said excitedly, watching a few pair up in expectance of a New Year’s kiss; John and Vriska were an obvious two. Eridan nudged Feferi nervously, while Nepeta bugged Karkat incessantly. Jane, Jake and Roxy all kept an awkward distance away from Dirk. Feferi eventually did give in and agree, while Karkat repeatedly denied Nepeta’s advances.

Aradia, however, looked around in confusion. “Wait…”

The timer struck ‘10’, beginning the final countdown. Once the number hit 1, Jade leapt forward and kissed Dave on the lips. The sound of the excitement almost drowned out Aradia muttering a simple sentence that had the power to completely devastate the room; “Where’s Kanaya?”

Dave could feel the blood draining from both his and Jade’s faces. Why now? Why in the presence of Karkat and Sollux? Hopefully Kanaya had simply fallen asleep or something… No, it was almost certain. Gamzee had struck and the others simply hadn’t noticed among the excitement of the party.

“Fuck.” Vriska said as she pulled away from John after she heard what Aradia had said. 

John looked at her, worried. “Come on, we need to hurry.” 

The group, including a very confused Sollux and Karkat, headed in the January chill of midnight to the other dorm. Inside, they made their way to Kanaya’s door, which was left slightly ajar. As they had all feared, Kanaya was on the floor face-down, as if she had been thrown down after some sort of a struggle. She was still breathing, to the relief of everyone, but she was definitely comatose based on what the others had been like when Gamzee had gotten to them.

“Again. What the fuck is going on?” Karkat asked angrily. Dave knew that he probably knew something odd was going on, but it was all being laid out in front of him now. It was some sort of a miracle that Vriska and the others had been able to keep these incidents contained from the others, but now that most of the foreign exchange students had been awakened to their Personas, it was much harder to conceal these happenings.

“Look, Karkat, we can explain later, but now we have to-” John began. He was interrupted by Karkat grabbing him by the neck of his shirt and pressing him against the wall.

“Talk, you lackadaisical incompetent shitsack!” Karkat shouted. “This shit had been going on long enough! It doesn’t a fucking imbecile to figure out that something is fucking wrong. You obviously know what’s going on, so fucking talk!”

Dave was quick to go over and punch Karkat in the cheek, sending him to the ground and freeing John from his grasp. “Calm the fuck down.” Dave stated simply. He hated seeing any of his friends being threatened and Karkat was asking for it after grabbing his best friend. 

“Every moment we waste here is more time that Kanaya is in danger.” Rose reasoned, helping Karkat up from the ground. “Karkat, I understand your being upset, and I swear to you that we can explain everything once we get back. It just may be a bit hard to believe.”

“Just…” Karkat muttered as he rubbed his sore cheek. “Just do whatever you have to do and make her better, alright? No fucking around.”

“Yeah.” Dave responded. 

“Shouldn’t we get her to a hospital or something?” Sollux asked, as practical as always.

Jade shook her head. “Just leave it to us. She’ll be fine.”

__

Once inside Asphodel, Dave turned back on the gathered crowd at decided on a party with little discussion. “Terezi, John, Jade, Rose, Jane, and Aradia. Let’s go.”

The newly gathered group approached the door, which was labeled “Kanaya Maryam: Savage Labyrinth”. 

“I’m liking these names less and less.” Dave remarked as he stepped through the door.

__

Dave’s first glimpse of Kanaya’s ‘shadow world’ was that of smooth marble brick walls bathed in a soft, greenish light emitting from small, floating glowing bugs. Upon closer inspection, the bugs were revealed to be moths. Dave could appreciate the irony of moths emitting light instead of chasing it. The whole place looked quite fancy, but the name ‘labyrinth’ meant the place was most likely going to be infuriatingly difficult to navigate.

The group summoned their Personas and their weapons. Dave decided to go with Seth for the time being. Jade’s new Persona caused some stir amongst the group, particularly in Rose and Terezi.

“When did that happen, exactly?” Rose asked as she observed the new Persona. 

“Not long ago.” Jade replied, smiling as she stroked Sirius’ ears. “I just had a sort of a revelation, that’s all. I’m sure it could happen to any of us.”

“It’s very powerful, Jade!” Terezi remarked as she scanned Sirius. “I’m not seeing your fire weakness anymore, and I’m sensing your strengths have become stronger too. Your new Persona resists electricity and absorbs ice.”

“Awesome!” Jade replied excitedly. “Now, let’s go save Kanaya!” she shouted as she charged ahead, gun in hand and Sirius trotting behind.

“Jade, hang on!” Rose protested. “We need to get our bearings first! We can easily get lost here.”

“Well, we can’t just let her get too far ahead alone.” Jane reasoned. Dave nodded and ran ahead, catching up to Jade after a few turns and twists. Jade was engaged in battle with a gigantic Minotaur shadow with a purple mane and chained wrists. A giant mask covered its’ face like all other shadows.

“Holy shit.” Dave muttered.

“What do they feed these things?” John asked, rushing ahead to assist Jade.

The minotaur bought a fist down on Jade, who leapt out of the way and rolled into a crouching position. She shot the minotaur with her rifle, making the beast stumble back a bit from the sharp shock of pain. Once she was out of the danger zone, she looked at Sirius and nodded. “Bufudyne!”

Sirius crouched and let out a loud howl, spewing forth a torrent of high-velocity ice and snow. The minotaur fell over onto its’ back, completely defenseless. “Anyone up to go all-out?” Jade asked, smiling with her characteristic overbite. She was quite proud of herself.

Dave looked back at the others and gave a nod. The group immediately rushed forward and set upon the felled beast with their weapons, hacking and slashing until the minotaur was nothing but a cloud of dark smoke.

“That was fun!” Jade said with a smile. A blast of fire that sent her several feet away ruined the mood. As Jane ran over to Jade to administer healing spells, Dave turned to see yet another minotaur, this one smaller and possessing a fiery red and orange mane.

John stood to act first this time, having Perseus dash forward with his shield to bludgeon the minotaur. Perseus struck, but his shield bounced right off of the minotaur’s skin. 

Terezi decided to shed light on the situation. “This one’s immune to physical strikes! Watch out, it’s about to charge!” 

Aradia ran forward, pushed John out of the way, and cracked her whip on the ground to entice the minotaur. “Here, boy!” she shouted, waiting for the charge. When the minotaur crouched and ran forward, Aradia cracked her whip once more. “Now, Hades!” 

Hades responded by closing its’ iron maiden arms around Aradia, encasing her in a cramped and spiked prison of complete protection. The minotaur took the bait and rammed into the iron maiden shell, doing nothing but hurting its’ head and stumbling back, stunned.

Aradia fell to her knees as she came out of the iron maiden. While incredibly useful, it did seem to take quite a toll on her to use it. 

“Rose, now!” Dave shouted. Rose nodded and raised her needles, bringing down a blast of lightning on the minotaur. When that didn’t finish it, Jane intervened with Hera to bring down a rain of fire. The minotaur, bloodied and battered, rose to its feet even after the heavy amount of thrashing, and tried to come down on Dave with a body slam.

“Shit.” Dave muttered, kneeling down and raising his sword. Seth flew in to guard his master, catching the minotaur and throwing it few feet away. 

Seizing the opportunity, Dave summoned up another new arcana; the Hanged Man. With a short bit of concentration, Dave turned the card over and called his new Persona into being; “Hell Biker!”

Each time he called a new Persona into being, Dave was always pleasantly surprised, but never had he felt an elation such as the feeling that came to him when a skull-headed man rode onto the scene on a flaming motorcycle. 

“Agidyne!” Dave shouted, wasting no time. A blast of fire erupted from beneath the minotaur, roasting the beast until it dissipated into black smoke.

Aradia clapped giddily. “Wow, that was fun! Now, we should really make out way through! I bet Kanaya’s scared something awful right now.”

“But which way do we go?” Jade asked.

“The logical way to go would to split up.” Rose argued. “But that would make us weaker as a unit. So I suggest we go forward together, with a method of backtracking. Perhaps leaving a trail of ice via Jade’s persona.”

“Or we could just hurry and go straight through!” Aradia protested. “We’re bound to find where Kanaya is eventually, if we hurry.”

“Highly illogical, we’ll only get lost.” Rose stated. 

“Rose is right.” John agreed. “I’d say we break the ceiling and try to make a shortcut ourselves, but that might take forever. Let’s be careful and play it smart.”

“I’m not going to wait for that!” Aradia continued. It was one of the rare moments where she displayed an emotion other than happiness and innocence. “I’m going!” she announced, turning and running off into the maze.

“Shit!” Dave shouted as Aradia turned a corner. “Rose, you take John and Jade and do your thing. I’m going to make sure Aradia doesn’t get killed by an even bigger mythological piece of shit.”

“I’ll go too!” Jane offered. “So you don’t get killed either.”

“I think we should take a left!” Terezi stated above all the others.

Everyone batted an eye at Terezi.

“…Or I can go too.”

“Very well.” Rose agreed. “Just be careful!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dave replied as he charged off after Aradia. Jane and Terezi followed suit, with Terezi even drawing her cane-sword in case of battle.

“I suppose we better start making our way as well.” Rose said. “Jade, if you would?”

“Alright, Sirius. Be a good boy and mark our tracks, okay?” Jade said, patting Sirius’ head as she spoke. Sirius let out a confirmatory bark and began to breathe a trail of ice as the group of three began walking.

After a short while of silence, Rose spoke up. “This is… nice.”

John tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Rose began. “I hate to admit it, but when I moved here, I expected to spend more time with all of you.”

“What do you mean?” Jade asked.

“I mean, you have Dave, and John, you have… Vriska. Her.” Rose explained. “I find myself left out. The only real time we get to spend together, just the four of us, is when we’re in the computer world. And even then, the others are there. It’s rarely just us four now.”

“What about Dave?” Jade asked. “He’s not here now.”

“No, and I suppose it’d be great to have him here. But I know he wouldn’t take anything I’m saying seriously. He would dismiss it all with his brand of ‘wit’. No, it’s best I come clean to just the two of you.”

“Maybe we could find someone for you?” John suggested. He groaned when Jade elbowed him in the side. “Ow!”

“No, dummy! That’s not the problem. I think I agree, the four of us have all been best friends since we were kids, and now that we’re all together, all kinds of prior things are keeping us from hanging out like we should. The computer world, or dating…”

“I don’t mean to become a social burden.” Rose apologized, sighing.

“No, you’ve got a point!” Jade replied. “I think you’re right. We should take some time after all this to hang out.”

Rose smiled. “That sounds lovely.”

__

Aradia stumbled upon a gap in the floor of the labyrinth, leading to a seemingly bottomless pit. Cracking her whip, she spied a handle jutting out of the wall over the pit. She let her whip loose, latched it around the handle, and swung across the pit, with Hades floating closely behind. “I suppose I could’ve just had you floating me across, but that’d be boring.”

Hades simply nodded, complying with the wishes of his mistress.

“We better find Kanaya, quick! I bet she’s near.”

Aradia turned another few corners and came face to face with another shadow; this time a large wheel with spikes protruding from the center, and a lion’s face on the front that wasn’t spinning with the wheel.

“Let’s try something new! Mudoon!” Aradia commanded, cracking her whip on the ground to command Hades. Hades complied and surrounded the wheel shadow with a cloud of dark smoke. A click was heard and the shadow was destroyed instantly by the darkness magic.

“Easy!” Aradia concluded happily, continuing with her stride through the labyrinth. 

At last she finally came upon her goal, a pair of doors that was surrounded by several moths. If Kanaya were anywhere, it would be beyond that door.

“Hang on, babe… Aradia’s coming!” Aradia shouted, having Hades bash the door open.

Indeed, Kanaya was in the large, featureless square room. Standing beside her was her cloud-surrounded shadow self. They both had a sad expression on their faces, and as was expected, they were grey-skinned with horns on their heads. When Kanaya heard the commotion of the door being open, she turned to see the ram-horned Aradia standing in the doorway. “Aradia?”

“Hi, Kanny!” Aradia shouted, waving and walking over. “Having trouble?”

“Oh, she always has trou-”

“Hush!” Aradia said to Shadow Kanaya. “I’m talking to Kanaya.”

“No… No, I need to hear these things.” Kanaya replied. “I… I never stopped and thought of all the things I’ve done, or how I’ve done them.”

“You just have to accept it all.” Aradia responded. 

“It’s…” Kanaya began, sighing. “It’s not that simple.”

“And oh, how you love simple!” Shadow Kanaya resumed in her distorted voice, backing away. “It’s all got to go according to plan. Everyone needs to be on your wavelength or else you go nuts! The world just has to revolve around your assumptions and you’re just constantly disappointed. The world is complex and you just can’t handle anything going out of control.”

“I…” Kanaya said, unable to come up with a rebuttal.

“What, don’t you agree?” Shadow Kanaya asked. “Or am I not on your level? That’s not it, of course. I AM you.”

“No…” Kanaya said, shaking her head.

Aradia gasped. “Please, don’t…”

“Always a plan B with you. Where’s your plan B, Kanaya?” Shadow Kanaya mocked. “Oh, that’s right. Once your Plan B fails, you just can’t improvise, and the world moves too fast for you to make everything work. And that’s just what’s happening right now.”

“Kanaya, listen to me.” Aradia reasoned, holding Kanaya’s hand. 

“Your precious little stability accessory Aradia won’t help you at all!”

“Stop it!” Kanaya shouted, turning to her shadow.

“She’s just that, isn’t she? An accessory, something to help you keep stable. To keep things simple and flowing smoothly.”

“No! You know nothing! I thought you a critic born of my own flaws, but now I know you’re just a lie! You’re not me!”

Aradia gasped and leapt back, having Hades at the ready.

Shadow Kanaya cackled and faded into a large cloud of black smoke. Kanaya was blown away by the energy being given off by the transformation, and was knocked unconscious upon landing, as was standard for victims of their shadows going berserk. The plume of smoke began taking shape, and dissipated to reveal Shadow Kanaya’s true form.

Shadow Kanaya took the shape of a black mannequin draped in a red coat with an elegant fur collar, laying back on an expensive couch and holding a crystal chalice in her right hand. Draped from her neck was various types of jewelry, all a dark crimson color. Her face was completely hairless and featureless, as mannequins usually were. Surrounding Shadow Kanaya were six floating orbs of light, circling her in a clockwise fashion; one green, and the other five white.

“I am a Shadow, the true self!” the shadow shouted. "I've counted the days since the world has started turning, and yours are numbered!”

“Well, here we go, Hades.” Aradia muttered, cracking her whip and preparing for battle. 

Shadow Kanaya made the first move, raising her cup. A cloud formed over Aradia’s head, and from it dropped a golden fist that homed in on her. Unable to respond, Aradia was struck and pushed to lie on the ground, the attack having done great damage. 

“Finished already?” Shadow Kanaya asked, laughing maniacally.

Aradia struggled to her feet and staggered back a bit, being caught by Hades who helped her stand up straight. “No! I’m just getting started!” she protested.

“Very well!” Shadow Kanaya shouted. The green orb that was floating around her suddenly switched to white, and a formerly white orb turned green. With another raising of the cup, Kanaya dispelled a wave of heat around her, heading straight for Aradia. 

Gasping, Aradia cracked her whip and had Hades encase her in her iron maiden defense. As was expected, Shadow Kanaya’s attack bounced right off Aradia’s impenetrable barrier. 

“What is this?” Shadow Kanaya shouted angrily, bringing another golden fist down on Aradia. Again the attack did nothing but make a loud clanging sound. 

Inside the iron maiden, Aradia had to concentrate and expend her own strength to hold up her defense. Though it was safe, it was dangerous to hold up for too long, and she could tell that if she were to keep it much longer, it would do more damage to her than Shadow Kanaya would.

With another raise of the cup, several phantom blades made wild cuts throughout the room, focusing on Aradia’s iron maiden. Still no damage done, though Aradia was quickly getting weary.

“Told you she wouldn’t be too far off.” Dave said as he entered the room, Jane and Terezi following closely behind. Immediately Hell Biker charged forward, ramming into Shadow Kanaya and doing minimal damage.

“Hang on, Dave! Let me get a reading here!” Terezi said, putting away her cane-sword and focusing on scanning the enemy. 

Aradia, exhausted and hurt, let her iron maiden defense fall and fell to her knees. Jane rushed over and immediately ushered Hera into healing her with Dia spells. “Just hold on, I’ll fix you up.”

Dave stood up to Shadow Kanaya, intending to buy some time for his team. Calling upon his Hermit arcana, he summoned a different Persona: “Lamia!” he shouted, bringing forth a woman with the lower body of a snake, and a curvaceous seductress upper half. “Rakukaja!” he added, having Lamia shield him in protective energy.

Shadow Kanaya responded by summoning more phantom blades, all of them swinging at Dave. Dave leapt and dodged over and around most of them, but couldn’t avoid every one and ended up with a few cuts. 

“Ugh, you bitch.” Dave muttered, rushing in at Kanaya. He struck her with his blade, but found that it hardly made a scratch.

“Dave, I’ve figured it out!” Terezi shouted, just in time for a blast of kinetic energy to blow Dave away.

“Spit it out. Simply.”

“The orbs are giving her strength. Get rid of the powered orb and she’ll lose most of her powers!”

“It’s that easy? Shit.” Dave muttered as he rushed forward again, leaping up and slicing at the green orb. His strike bounced off as if he had struck solid metal.

“Let me finish next time!” Terezi shouted. “The powered orb is indestructible, but the energy in it transfers to a different orb after a few seconds! You need to watch for a pattern and destroy the unpowered orb that will become the next powered one in the pattern!”

“Dammit, why couldn’t Rose be the one to do this shit?” Dave asked, leaping away from a falling golden fist.

“You called?” Rose shouted, entering the room along with Jade and John. “Aradia, I’m not saying I was wrong, but you were right. Let us finish this and return home.”

Shadow Kanaya made a growling noise at the newcomers, unleashing another burst of heat. Dave leapt away, joining the others who were out of Shadow Kanaya’s immediate heat wave range. 

Rose kept the greatest distance, watching the pattern of the orb colors and how they changed. “They seem to be changing every five seconds. It’s difficult to tell which will be next due to the spinning, but…” 

Jade knelt down and took a shot with her rifle, destroying one of the white orbs. Rose nodded and smiled. “Correct!” she concluded, as the currently green orb violently shook and then exploded. The force of the explosion caused Shadow Kanaya to fall out of her lounging couch, and removed all the other orbs. 

“Now!” Dave shouted, running forward with his sword in hand. Rose, John, and Jade followed while Jane focused on healing the still hurt Aradia.

Even when down and vulnerable, Shadow Kanaya put up a fight with her barely visible floating phantom blades, making the all-out attack a bit more difficult to pull off effectively while having to dodge the slices.

A few moths gathered around Shadow Kanaya’s head as the attack was pressed, and they began to glow; five white, one green. The glows grew until they were the size of the orbs that were formerly present, and once they were all present, Kanaya drew upon her strength and expelled her attackers with a large, forceful cloud of moth dust.

“Get ready to fire again, Jade.” Rose advised. 

“Right!” Jade said, taking a knee and aiming while Sirius barked, sending out a block of ice with each bark.

“No!” Shadow Kanaya shouted, holding up her left hand. She sent a torrent of phantom blades straight at Jade. Sirius leapt in front of her to take the hit, but as all pain was transferred from Persona to Persona-user, Jade gasped as she fell back in pain.

Aradia stood up, finally well after the healing. “Go help Jade! I can handle myself, don’t worry!”

Dave looked to Aradia and nodded, switching his Persona to something more attack oriented; Odin, of the Emperor arcana. A purple-skinned man wearing a toga and a golden helmet came into view, holding a long golden lance that was sparking with lightning.

Aradia began the attack, having Hades rush in and use his iron maiden arms as bludgeons to keep Shadow Kanaya while Dave watched the orbs to see which to destroy. 

“Dave! Number five!” Rose shouted, sending electric bolts at the fast-moving orbs, but missing each time.

“Which one is number five?” Dave asked, annoyed.

“Two clockwise of the next green orb!” Rose clarified. 

Dave nodded and saw the change in orbs. He raised his sword and struck the white one that Rose told him to. The same explosion that had happened earlier occurred again, hurting not only Shadow Kanaya, but the nearby Dave and Aradia as well. Both of them flew back to the opposite end of the room as Rose went forward to deal some damage. Terezi drew her cane-sword and cackled as she ran along Rose to assist her.

Shadow Kanaya, wounded beyond the ability to fight back, fell to the final onslaught and dissipated into darkness, ending the battle. Rose smiled at Terezi, and then looked at the others, who were all in varying degrees of pain. 

“Well… That takes care of that.” Aradia concluded as she helped the now conscious Kanaya up to her feet. “Come on, time to make with the accepting!”

Kanaya rubbed her eyes and sighed, looking at her once-again formed shadow self. “I… I don’t know where to begin.”

“Just start with admitting that what she said was right.” Aradia suggested, patting Kanaya’s back. “It’s your own self telling you what you may have kept repressed from your immediate thoughts. You have to believe it. You wouldn’t lie to yourself.”

“Yes, you’re… you’re right. Yes, Aradia’s right. I may have refused to believe it, but now I can think clearly, I know what you said was true. It’s an aspect of myself that I don’t wish to repress, but to manage. You know what you are talking about… Because you are indeed me.”

Shadow Kanaya looked up and smiled as she faded away into a soft blue light. In her place was a Persona that looked much like Shadow Kanaya’s berserk form; a standing black mannequin in a coat with a fur collar, jewelry, and a featureless face. The difference was the pair of glowing moth wings that extended from her back, constantly flapping and dispelling glowing moth dust. “Eos.” Kanaya said, having her Persona fade into the card of Temperance and taking it. Kanaya glowed blue as well for a brief moment, then slumped in Aradia’s arms. 

“We should get her out of here.” Jane suggested, motioning to the glowing door in the room. 

Aradia nodded and helped Kanaya to her feet, guiding her out of the door alongside all the others.

__

Everyone came to at around the same time. Karkat turned his head from the book he was reading when he saw everyone wake up. “The hell? It took you a whole hour? I hope you did what you had to do to help her.”

“Kanaya will be fine.” Rose said. “Aradia, could you?”

Aradia nodded and woke Kanaya up from her place on the couch. Kanaya came to and groaned as she sat up. 

”She needs some rest.” John advised. “We can explain everything to you guys, but we’ll have to tell Kanaya later after she gets some R&R.”

“I’m fine, really…” Kanaya argued weakly.

“No, you’re not! And you’re getting some sleep whether you like it or not.” Aradia told her. “Come, I’ll help you up to your room.”

Karkat watched as Aradia and Kanaya went up stairs, then turned to Dave. “So? Me and Sollux have been sitting here for an hour wondering what the fuck was up. Start talking.”

“You want the short version or the version that makes sense?” Dave asked. “Actually, scratch that, none of this really makes sense at all.”

Rose cleared her throat. “I think I can cover this all.”

__

“So what you’re telling me is that inside computers, there are some worlds that reflect our inner thoughts, as well as dark creatures that you fight using manifestations of your inner psyches.” Sollux summed up. “And Gamzee is the one ‘throwing everyone in’. Their consciousnesses anyway.”

“Basically, yeah.” John responded.

“You realize how fucking stupid this sounds, right?” Karkat asked.

“Do you really think we’d go through all this crap to lie to you?” Dave asked. “Dude, sometimes the only solution to any of this is to just go with suspension of disbelief and just keep rolling.”

“Then prove it.” Karkat asked, getting up from his seat. “Put me in there. Let me get my Persona, let me talk to Gamzee and stop him myself.”

“We’re exhausted!” Terezi protested. “Doing all that isn’t very easy, you know. And I barely do any of the fighting!”

“Tomorrow then.” Karkat argued. “I want in.”

“Yeah, me too.” Sollux added. “I’d rather not sit around and let Gamzee get me on his own terms.”

Rose sighed. “I can only imagine that somehow we’d still be playing into his hands no matter how we go about it, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“Fine, we can get them in tomorrow. There goes the rest of the break.” Dave said, groaning out of exhaustion and overall annoyance. 

“Is that everything, then? I miss my bed.” Jade asked, rubbing her eyes.

“Yeah.” Karkat said, finally giving in. “Whatever. We’ll do this shit later.”

With Karkat’s ‘permission’, Dave and the others returned to their own dorm for some much needed rest, awaiting the mission of introducing Karkat and Sollux to the computer world.


	29. The Obligatory Shipping Chapter

The next day, Karkat and Sollux visited the Senior dorm along with Vriska and Terezi. Dave, Jade, John and Rose were there to greet them and get set up. 

“We will only be able to handle one dungeon at once. We don't have enough people on hand to run two simultaneously.” Rose told the two boys, laying out her laptop. “Now, is everyone ready?”

Dave and the others nodded. 

Satisfied, Rose turned to Karkat. “Do you want to go first?” she asked, to which Karkat nodded in response. “Then let us begin. You start by typing in a code as follows; press the 'home' key, type the word 'gateway', hold alt and press 'end'.”

“That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard.” Karkat mused as he proceeded to type in the code. Upon hitting the end key, he sat back and waited for the code to take him into the computer. When nothing happened, he tried again.

“Are you typing it in right?” Dave asked. 

“Yes, I'm typing this shit in. I should have known better than to trust you to be straight up with me.” Karkat muttered as he typed it in one last time. Upon the last hit of the end key, a deafening cackle made everyone in the room jump. Akin to a blue screen of death, Karkat's screen displayed only a solid purple screen. On it, an image of paint being smeared on a wall began to form, eventually culminating in a smiley face of bleeding white paint. 

“What the shit...” Dave muttered as he looked over Karkat's shoulder. Slowly, letters began to form under the smiley face as if they were being entered via keyboard, eventually spelling an alarming message; “cHeAtInG AiNt aLlOwEd mOtHeRfUcKeR. WaIt yOuR TuRn.”

“Gamzee.” Karkat muttered, placing his laptop aside and groaning. 

“No way.” Dave muttered, picking up his own laptop. He entered the code and was greeted with the same loud cackle and screen, this time the words being “I DoNt fUcKiN ThInK So.”

“Gamzee, you fucking idiot!” Vriska shouted in frustration. “Great, we're back to square one, aren't we?”

“I suppose we should have seen this coming.” Rose muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “It's not a surprise that he has some measure of control over the computer world. That would explain his ability to teleport while he's inside it.”

“So we're back to playing right into his hand. Great.” Dave said, giving up and pushing pressing the escape key to close the purple screen. 

“No doubt we'll be able to enter whenever he wants us to.” Rose mentioned.

Karkat stood up and looked at them, his face scrunched from scowling angrily. “So we're supposed to just wait for him to get me and Sollux, is that it? How do you even know it's him?”

“We've been over this, dipshit. We've seen him. Can't you see the screen?” Vriska pointed out, standing up as well. With her arm nearly completely healed, she looked ready to hit something, and Karkat was a something.

“There's got to be some reason he's caught up in all this.” Karkat reasoned. “I'm not ready to believe he's doing all this out of spite or willingly.”

“He's always been crazy. Whatever his reasons are, it doesn't change the fact that he's hurt us and he needs to be punished!” Terezi said, standing as well.

Sollux stood last. “Shut up!” he shouted, rubbing his temples. “God, you people could give a deaf person a headache. If we don't know how to fix the issue with the computers, then we're just going to have to wait. These guys know what they're doing, they'll get us out if Gamzee takes us.”

“Can't you do something? Your this elite world-class computer hacker, right?” Karkat asked.

“KK, even you should be able to tell that what's happening isn't natural. I can't do anything about it.” Sollux replied. “We just have to wait. I hate it as much as you do, but there's nothing else to be done.”

Karkat threw his hands up and screamed out of frustration as he walked away. Dave rolled his eyes and turned back to Rose.

“Let's take a break for now.” Rose told the others. “If there's indeed nothing we can do, then we shouldn't spend all of our time and energy on trying to find a solution. Our current method will work for now, and when we get both Karkat and Sollux out of the fire, we'll see where Gamzee will go with his plan.”

“I agree. And good timing, too.” John said, holding up his phone. “I got a text from Nepeta. She's asking if we're free around 4 today.”

“Why?” Dave asked.

John sent a message asking Nepeta about the purpose of her question, and got a quick reply. “She says it's a surprise. She just said to make sure we bring an even number of people for some reason. She wants us to meet at Delilah's.”

“That's the cafe where Jane works, right?” Jade asked. “That sounds nice. I guess she wants to invite everyone to dinner? I don't know why she'd have to leave that as a surprise. There's got to be something she's hiding.”

“Only one way to find out.” Dave said. “Jade, we should totally wear the shirts we got.” 

“You mean the ones with...”

“Exactly those.”

__

Delilah's was essentially a park-and-eat burger joint ripped straight out of the 50's. Neon lights decorated each side of the building, and waitresses on roller skates brought plates of burgers and milkshakes to parked customers. Dave could hear old school rock n' roll playing over the outdoor speakers. The only thing missing was parked muscle cars; taking their place were the modern day cars and the occasional SUV.

Nepeta called the group over. “Oh good, you made it!” she said. “I've got a surprise for everyone!”

Dave tilted his head. “Free food?”

“Try 'free group date cafe'.” Nepeta responded. “It was the best idea! Jane told me about how purrts of the restaurant could be rented out, so I pounced at the chance! I think we could all use something fun like this. Plus, you know. Valentine's Day is soon.”

Jade smiled. “This is great! But how could you afford it?”

“Well, Equius helped me pay for it.” Nepeta responded. “I get paid for a relationship advice column in a newspaper. And Equius is a milkman in a small suburb outside of Seattle!”

Equius merely smiled. 

“Hm. Well, cool. Got mine.” Dave said, putting his hand around Jade's waist and tugging her close. Nepeta was amused by their matching shirts that both read “I'm with Sexy” with a arrows pointing at each other. 

“This way, we can take care of all the poor little single folks in our litter! Um, group.” Nepeta said. “Come on, I'll show you in!”

__

The inside of the restaurant was no less an accurate portrayal of the classic burger joint than the outside. A jukebox was sending out the tunes that were playing outside, and the kitchen was framed by a bar where patrons could sit and eat as opposed to the two-seat high tables or the booths. Dave could see that some people were already grouped or paired off; Roxy, Dirk, Eridan, Feferi, Terezi and Sollux sat at one booth, with the three boys on one side and the girls on the other. Karkat sat alone at one of the two-seater tables. Everyone else was divided around, with the people currently in relationships generally sitting aside with their own significant others.

“Guess you know what that means.” Dave said to Jade. 

“Well, hang on.” Jade began. “Maybe we should sit at a booth with John and Vriska, and whoever else is paired?”

“Like an actual group date, then?” John asked. “That sounds cool.”

Dave shrugged. “When in Rome, I guess.”

Dave and John sat on the side of the booth across from Jade. Vriska arrived not long after they sat down and joined them. 

“Haven't been here before.” Vriska mentioned. “It's nice.”

“How long have you guys been here, Vriska?” Jade asked. “I only just started seeing you guys in High School, and it never occurred to me to ask.”

“I think it was about eight years ago?” Vriska replied, giggling slightly at the mention of the number eight. “It's all a blur until High School. Everything before the blurry bits just isn't there. Doesn't bother me, I'm good with where I'm at.” 

“So am I.” John concurred. “You know, this whole computer thing is really dangerous, but... I don't think I'd have as many friends as I do now. I'm really happy where I am now.”

Vriska nudged John's foot a bit with her own foot beneath the table, grinning. “So, who is Nep trying to set up?”

Jade looked to the rest of the occupants of the restaurant. “Looks like she paired Fef and Eri. That's good, they haven't been able to look at each other since New Years.”

“Preach it. You have no idea how awkward it is living with those two sometimes.” Vriska replied. “What's the deal with Dirk and Roxy? Wasn't he with Jake?”

John shrugged. “He's a heartbreaker, I guess? All three of them had the hots for Dirk at some point or another.”

Jade shrugged. “And... oh, look. Now I know why she set this whole thing up.”

Dave turned his head to where Jade was mentioning. Karkat had previously been sitting alone at a table but now he was accompanied by Nepeta, smiling and batting eyelashes at him from across the table. Karkat was obviously trying to deny any advances as he had known for quite some time about Nepeta's feelings, but his red face showed that his attempts weren't working out very well. 

“Well, good for her!” Jade said, smiling. “I think it's cute.” 

Vriska rolled her eyes. “Maybe if she finally gets him to roll over we can finally stop having to deal with her being upset every time she sees him within twenty feet of another chick.”

Dave shrugged. Gossiping about people wasn't really his thing. 

Jane walked over and placed a few milkshakes in front of each person sitting on the table, without having taken orders beforehand.

John blinked. “Hey, you got my flavor right. How'd you guess?”

“Didn't. I just knew.” Jane responded, smiling and walking away. Sure enough, every milkshake was of the correct flavor. 

“Helluva waitress.” Dave commented as he sipped his shake. 

__

 

“I don't know, Nepeta.” Karkat muttered, rubbing his forehead. “Look, I'm really stressed out about all this shit. I know what you're trying to do and it's nice and all but I just can't fucking think straight. All this talk about computers and Personas and Gamzee going fucknuts crazy isn't good for my head.”

Nepeta tilted her head. “Have you tried rubbing your temples?”

Karkat looked up at Nepeta. “What?”

“Rubbing your temples.” Nepeta repeated. “It can help relieve your headaches. Watch.”

Nepeta sat up on the chair and leaned over the table, placing her fingertips on Karkat's temples. She pressed her fingers on his skull, gently but firmly, then rubbed in a circular motion. It wasn't immediate relief, but Karkat could definitely feel the pressure on his head lessening. 

“...there.” Nepeta said as she reluctantly drew away. “Try it, Karkitty.”

“Karkat.” he corrected, not particularly caring for the nickname. He raised his fingers to his temples and repeated the motion. “This isn't actually that bad.”

“Told you!” Nepeta exclaimed, giggling. “I'm... sorry for having you come sit here with me. If you want to go sit with someone else, I'll understand.”

Karkat stopped rubbing and looked at Nepeta. Her face was one of understanding coupled with sadness, one of the hardest kinds of faces to look at. With a sigh, Karkat shook his head. “No, it's fine. I don't mind sitting with you.”

Nepeta's expression lit up like a metaphorical Christmas tree. It was more than she had gotten in years! With a giggle and slight swoon, Nepeta turned to Jane and had her bring out another round of milkshakes, fully intending to get as much out of the situation as she could. 

__

“Aww.” Feferi said as she watched Nepeta and Karkat. “That was sweet.” 

“What was?” Terezi asked. 

“She's just watching Nepeta's continuing crusade for Karkat's heart.” Rose clarified. She had situated herself as the odd 7th person at the table because she refused to sit alone with anyone or at the booth with Vriska. 

“D'awww. She's been doing that for years. Good to see she's making some progress.” Terezi added, sipping her cherry milkshake. 

Sollux nodded in agreement. As was usual, he remained quiet in public social situations. Still, it was saying something that they managed to get him out of the dorm. 

Even Eridan seemed to be out of his normally sour mood. It was probably due to Feferi being happy. Ever since their shadow encounters, they both grew to understand each other and themselves better, and they had been growing closer ever since; as was completely evident to everyone because of the New Year's Eve kiss. The tension could be felt by everyone in the immediate area. Despite this, it was clear that neither of them was going to say anything about it.

Of course, this meant that Roxy had to take the initiative. 

“So. New Years was fun.” Roxy said, smiling. “Right, Eri? Fef? You guys were late for mistletoe.” 

The comment made both of their faces flush red.

“Not talking about it will only make it eat away at both of your minds for as long as you keep it bottled up.” Rose advised. She noted the hypocrisy of her giving relationship advice, but she didn't really care as long as it got rid of the tense air between those two. 

Eridan and Feferi resumed their habit of not even looking at each other. Roxy nudged Feferi to get her to make a move.

“...Eridan... They're kinda right.” Feferi muttered, sighing as if she couldn't believe what she was saying. “We should really talk about this. When we're alone.”

Eridan looked up, blinking. “O-oh.” The sight made Feferi smile and pat Eridan's hand with her own. The tension was resolved, at least for a while. 

__

The night passed with a surprising amount of success. Everyone could attest to Dirk and Roxy hitting it off, as well as Karkat and Nepeta. As for Eridan and Feferi, progress was yet to be seen. 

Dave, Jane and John walked behind the rest of the group, having their own little conversation.

“Thanks for all the work, Jane. Must have been a rough shift.” John mentioned.

“Yeah. Must have been even worse with all the desperation in the air. Wish we could afford to tip you more than just giving you the last piece of cake in the fridge or something.” Dave said.

“Oh, no, it was fine! Good to see everyone making an effort to get along. It's really sweet.” Jane replied. “I don't really take time to thank everyone for their hard work, so serving milkshakes all night is sort of my way of saying thanks.”

John smiled. Dave gave her a thumbs up.

“Seriously though. You both do so much. And Dave, you don't get nearly as much credit as you deserve.” Jane continued. 

“What are you talking about? I get compliments constantly. All I do is walk in front of people in the computer.” 

Jane shook her head. “That's what I'm talking about.” she said with a smile. “Thank you, John. Thank you, Dave.” she said as she sped up to catch up with Roxy so she could discuss the night.

Dave shrugged and continued to walk until a shattering sound stopped him and only him in his tracks. His vision dimmed and a feminine voice began to speak an all-too familiar message to him.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Star Arcana."

A card numbered 'XVII” appeared before him, decorated with a simple Star design. The Star on the face of the card had an odd looking face on it. The card disappeared soon after. John had noticed Dave's pause and stayed back to check on his friend. “Hey, you alright?”

“Yeah.” Dave responded. “Just another one of... You know, those.” Dave replied.

“The social link things, right.” John responded. “I wonder how many others are left.”

“Ask Rose. She knows the deck inside and out.” Dave said, yawning. “Man, I'm beat. It was a good night, but a man can only take a few supernatural episodes in a day before he needs his sleep.”

“You only had one today, Dave.” 

“Exactly.” Dave replied, fixing his glasses.

“Well... it was pretty fun.” John agreed, changing the subject to their night. “You know, I'm really happy with how everything's going.” 

“Yeah?” Dave asked, starting to walk forward. The others were now out of sight, having already made it back to the dorms.

“Yeah.” John said. “I'm not worried about what's coming up. Not anymore. I mean, it's not like I don't care, but I'm not scared anymore. If I'm happy with where my life is going, then everything's alright. I've got friends to help. And Vriska... Well, she's a big part of why I'm happy. You know?”

Dave nodded. He wouldn't say out loud how great it was to have Jade as a girlfriend, so he definitely knew what John was talking about. 

“I don't think I've ever felt this confident about my life.” John said, smiling. “I'm ready for whatever's out there.”

As John finished his last sentence, a blue light erupted from beneath him. Dave was startled at first but then remembered what had happened to Jade previously and decided to simply watch what was going to unfold. John's Persona Perseus appeared before him, looking him in the eyes as he faded away. Taking his place was a large, blue-skinned genie. Below his waist he was akin to Tavros' Hephaestus except that his lower body was a current of wind, not a blaze of fire. Above the waist, the Persona was dressed like a typical djinn of Arabic legend. His chest was bare save for a vest, and he wore golden bangles around his wrists. On his head was a neatly wrapped turban with a cerulean gem being featured as a decorative centerpiece. The Persona's fists were surrounded by visible air currents, and the Persona itself seemed to radiate a constant gust. On the Persona's face was a thick, manly black beard.

John spoke the Persona's name; “Aelous”; and absorbed the Persona back into himself. “Wow... So that's what happened to Jade, huh?”

“More or less.” Dave answered. “I wonder if any people happened to see the colossal fuckin' tornado genie outside of their windows.”

“I have a feeling that we're probably the only ones that can see stuff like this in the real world. I dunno.” John replied. “Well, we better get back, huh?”

Dave nodded. “Yeah, man.” he said, smiling slightly.

The two best friends talked and joked the whole walk back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient with me, everyone. College is rough (but fun!) and it's kinda tough to find time to write. But I do so love writing this story, so I can't wait to bring the last few chapters up!
> 
> I can hardly believe that the one story I'm actually going to finish is the one's that as long as a feature-length novel. Of course, it helps to have support, so thank you for all the kudos and the comments! 
> 
> Also, be sure to go give purpleHerald a look. He's been such a huge help and a swell guy and he deserves it!


	30. The Fires of War

To everyone's annoyance, particularly Karkat's, there was no further activity in the computer for the entire month of February. Life was relatively simple for a time; further studying (or lack thereof) took place and the days dragged onwards. It became apparent to most of the Persona users that they were practically depending on the computer world to spice up their lives, and it made many of them feel quite bad for thinking so. Now that Gamzee had locked them out, they couldn't even enter the world to practice.

This was compounded when a campus announcement began circulating amongst the student body in March. It took the form of a physical slip of paper as opposed to the typically electronic announcements that were sent to student cell phones and email accounts. The slip read as follows;

“Attention students of Sassacre Academy, 

Due to widespread technological issues with the school's computer network, classes will be undergoing temporary revisions of curriculum to accommodate for the lack of computer presentations, videos, lecturing tools, and other electronic teaching aids. Each school club that centers on the use of technological equipment will be suspended until further notice, and the school's computer lab will be closed until the issues are resolved.

COGITO ERGO SUM

Dr. Scratchenheim, PhD, Principal” 

John put the piece of paper down. “That doesn't sound good.”

Rose nodded solemnly. “Normally I would dismiss this as a mistake with our IT department... But it seems like just the thing Gamzee would do. And as usual, the reason why is unclear.”

“But what does it mean?” Jade asked. 

“Who knows? It's just like anything else with the computer world. We're running in circles trying to understand it and it's driving me nuts.” John replied. “I hate waiting.”

“Same.” Dave agreed. “I'm fucking bored.”

“Well, if things are acting up like this, maybe that means something will happen soon. I hope whoever it is will be alright...” Jade reasoned. “I don't want to just wait around, but I don't want someone to get put in the computer either.

“There's no other way to progress, really.” John argued. “Ugh, I'm tired of thinking about this. Movie, anyone?”

“Sure, but not one of yours!” Jade replied with a giggle.

“You just can't appreciate fine art.” John said with a stick of the tongue. “Hang on, someone's calling me.” he said, reaching in his pocket and grabbing his vibrating phone. An 8 ball was displayed on the screen, indicating who was calling. 

“Hello?” John said as he brought the phone to his ear. “Yeah, hey!”

Dave raised an eyebrow, having a feeling that he knew what the call was about.

“Just now? A-alright, I'll let everyone know. Come over with everyone, we'll get right to it.” John continued before closing his phone and putting it back in his pocket. “That was Vriska. Sollux is in the computer.”

“Well, speak of the devil.” Dave said, getting up to go grab his laptop. 

“Wait! We don't even know if we can get in. What if Gamzee still has it locked?” Jade asked. 

“We haven't tried it in days. It's worth a shot, right?” Dave reasoned, heading up the stairs. 

__

Everyone gathered at the dorm and laid an unconscious Sollux on the couch, their computers at the ready. 

“Did you guys get the notice?” Nepeta asked. She was sitting right next to Karkat, which she normally would have never had the nerve to do.

“About the school computer network? Yes, we received it this morning.” Rose confirmed.

Dave huffed. “Sucks, too. No more AV til this shit stops.”

“I'll bet anything it's Gamzee doing this.” said Vriska. “And it'll probably get worse if we don't get this done.” 

“Do you think it's related to the whole Persona thing, or something entirely different inside the computer world?” Feferi asked. “Something he's doing while we're not looking?”

“There is no way to tell at the moment. We must rescue Sollux before he is in the computer for too long.” Equius reasoned.

Rose nodded. “Others have been in there much longer than he has, but Equius is right. We should try entering.”

Dave nodded and punched in the code. He didn't know whether or not to expect another 'purple screen of death' or to be successfully put into the computer world; his last feelings in his conscious state were those of pleasant surprise as he passed out.

__

Dave woke up in Asphodel with the immediate feeling that something was wrong. He looked up and saw that the arcade was in a relative state of disrepair. Every once in a while, a small section of the wall would literally glitch up, shifting into a momentary image of static before returning to normal. It gave the entire area a rather volatile feeling. This was compounded with a lessening of the colors of the room, turning the normally joyous and bright locale to a desolate and sickly one.

The others appeared into view shortly after and were likewise startled by the appearance of the formerly bright and colorful arcade. 

“It feels... sick.” Jade mentioned. “We need to get to Sollux.”

“Right ahead of you.” Dave said, pointing to a new door. The door was labeled as the entry to 'Dual Cyberspace'. “Doesn't sound that bad.”

“Your team, Dave?” Rose asked, standing with the others.

As Dave was about to pick and choose, a static-riddled, robotic voice came over the intercom; “Player limit increased to eight” was heard, albeit barely. 

“Wow. Now I HAVE to go.” Vriska said, giggling. 

Dave shrugged and thought carefully for a moment, then settled on his selected group; “Jake, John, Vriska, Kanaya, Aradia and Nepeta. You come with me and Terezi.” he said, turning and opening the door to the new dungeon and stepping in. 

__

The appearance of the dungeon stunned everyone who laid their eyes upon it. The entire place had a very cyber look; the black walls, floors and ceiling were rife with glowing blue wires, with brighter blue lights traveling along the wires. There were small, holographic display panels on the walls that displayed countless lines of code.

Dave looked down at his hands and gasped, surprised that his hands were likewise lined with wires. His skin was a tone of pale blue, much like the color of the wires on the walls.

“Whoa!” John said as he made the same realization. “I don't feel any different.”

“Neither do I.” Kanaya said, who seemed to be the least fazed out of the group. It seemed that her, Vriska, Aradia, Terezi and Nepeta still had horns in the computer world, though in this particular scenery they were differing shades of blue instead of yellow and orange. “I suppose it's merely part of the scenery.”

Vriska shrugged. “I guess we'll just have to pay attention and see if it affects anything.”

The group began walking down the hallway that was before them. It wasn't before long that they found their progress impeded, with the end of the hallway being blocked by a glowing red block. 

“I wish we would have brought Equius.” Nepeta mentioned as she inspected the block. “Maybe we should go get him?”

“No, hang on.” Jake said, peeking around the place. Vriska and Dave did the same.

“Hey, what's this?” Dave asked as he spied a button on the wall. Not thinking much of it, he placed his hand on the button. To his surprise, everything blue around him, including his skin, turned to a shade of red. “Holy shit.”

“Dave, what happened? You're all red!” Aradia exclaimed, looking at Dave curiously.

“So is everything else, right?” Dave asked.

John shook his head. “The only red things here are you and the block.”

Dave quirked and eyebrow. “Hang on.” he said, going over to the red block that impeded their progress. With a soft push, the block slid out of the way and allowed access through the hall.

“I think I see what's going on.” Vriska said, heading over and pressing the button herself. Dave saw her turn red as well. “There are phases here.”

“Like in video games?” John asked as he too pressed the button, turning red. “So what you're saying is you can only interact with red things if you're in the red phase, and you can only interact with blue things if you're in the blue phase?”

“That's what I'm assuming.” Vriska answered, heading through the newly opened corridor. “Everyone else stay blue, so we can push anything we need to push out of our way.”

Dave nodded and followed Vriska through the hallway. Standing before them were a group of shadows, also possessing a cyber design like the Persona users. The shadows appeared to be pairs of twin zombies that were kept together via poles that horizontally pierced their bodies. The zombies were in a blue phase, it seemed.

“Easy enough.” John said as he ran forward with hammer in hand, bringing it down with fury. To his surprise, the hammer strike bounced right off of the zombie shadow. 

“Phases, dude!” Dave shouted, waving the others to enter the room. Personas and weapons came into being as those in the blue phase dashed forward at the zombies. Nepeta took the lead and leapt forward, pouncing on a zombie and clawing at the shadow furiously as Eros shot arrows at the others to let Nepeta do her work in peace. Jake provided cover fire from behind while Odysseus flew forward with his spear, fending off one of the zombies. 

Aradia skipped ahead and had Hades smash one of the zombie shadows into dust with his iron maiden arms. She turned around and looked to Kanaya. “Kanny, you coming?”

Kanaya looked down at her hands, having not summoned her weapon yet. “Yes, just a moment.” she said as she focused on bringing a weapon, any weapon, into being. There was a flash, and then there was a revving chainsaw in Kanaya's hands. 

Aradia blinked in surprise. “Woo! Now come help us, please!” 

Kanaya nodded and used her chainsaw to slice through her Persona card. “Eos!” she shouted, bringing her magnificently-clad Persona into being. She rushed forward, chainsaw at the side and sliced cleanly through another one of the zombie shadows. Eos grabbed both halves and threw them at other zombie shadows in the room. 

Having survived the initial assault, the zombie shadows began striking back with bolts of electricity. This was a problem for Nepeta, whose weakness was electricity, but the others fought through the pain (or lack thereof in Jake's case as he was strong against electricity) and pushed forward with another attack. Kanaya's chainsaw spelled death for three more of the zombies, and Jake's Persona speared the rest, clearing the room of zombies. 

Nepeta got up on her feet. “Ow.” she muttered, rubbing her sore side. 

Dave clapped and summoned his Persona as a preparation for any enemies in the red phase. Calling upon his newly acquired Star Arcana, Dave called upon a new Persona; “Kartikeya!” he called, bringing a peacock-riding, spear-wielding man into view. It wasn't nearly as cool as Hell Biker or Suzaku, but it would work for now. “Terezi, can I get an analysis?” he asked.

Terezi nodded and focused her Persona, scanning the group. “Your Persona's perfect if this place has a lot of enemies who use zio attacks. You're completely immune.”

Dave nodded and John walked forward. “Can you scan my new Persona, by any chance?”

Kanaya raised her hand. “Mine as well!”

Terezi nodded and spoke after a moment. “John, your Persona has a stronger wind resistance now. You're immune to it now, and you're also strong against light attacks. You should still watch out for ice attacks, though.” 

Next, she looked to Kanaya. “Kanaya, yours is a strange one! You have no strengths. But no weaknesses either! In fact, I think your Persona is completely physical. No elements whatsoever.”

Kanaya shrugged. “I suppose you don't need to light something on fire before slicing through it with a chainsaw.” 

“Well put!” Jake said, smiling. “Now, we should keep on moving, yes?” 

The group came upon another obstacle, another cube similar to the last they had found. This time, however, it was a purple color. “Perhaps it means there's more than one phase?” Jake asked as he tried pushing the block, to no avail. 

“Or...” Vriska said, approaching the block. “It just takes two.” she continued, helping push the block. With the two of them pushing the block, the block easily slid out of the way. “Red and blue make purple.” 

Jake nodded, embarrassed that he hadn't figured it out. “Right. That they do.”

The next obstacle that the group came upon was an open archway that seemed to house a force-field. The force-field was blue, and the arch-way was labeled with a warning; “Mandatory blue phase in preparation of the masters”.

Dave shrugged and stepped through the force-field. As he did, he was shifted back into a blue phase. The same happened to Vriska and John, while those already in blue phases remained the same. The group found themselves in an immense, open room, the largest they had been in yet. Three figures stood in the distance, as did several glowing, floating cubes of both red and blue colors. 

“Sollux!” Nepeta shouted as she spotted their target. Sollux was sitting on the ground, flanked by two Shadow Solluxes. 

“Two shadows? Is that even possible?” John asked.

“At this point, I'm learning to not be surprised by anything.” Dave responded.

Sollux's head whirled around. Unlike everyone else, Sollux didn't appear to be in a phase like everyone else. His skin was grey as was normal for the foreign exchange students, and he possessed two pairs of two horns on each side of his head. He looked incredibly out of place, though his red-and-blue glasses were quite appropriate. His shadows, however, seemed to both be in phases; the one to his left was in blue while the other was red. 

“Ah, just in time.” said Red Sollux in a sinister tone.

Blue Sollux, however, let out a melancholy sigh. “Let's get this over with...” he muttered.

“I mean, if that's cool with you. I'd much rather just kick your ass now.” Dave said. 

Sollux sighed and shook his head. “Ugh, this is fucking ridiculous. I shouldn't have to listen to this.” 

“But you're going to!” Red Sollux shouted.

“You don't really have a choice...” Blue Sollux muttered.

“You think that just ignoring us is gonna help, huh? You think you're the shit. You don't have to listen to us, we're not worth your time.” Red Sollux accused. “Well, you sack of shit, I've got news for you.”

“You're so conflicted with the bipolar thing that you don't know which is the real Sollux.” said Blue Sollux. “It sucks... to not be able to discuss it, to have someone help figure it out. You're all alone in your struggle because no one can understand...”

“A bunch of idiots, all of them! Why do you even hang out with these losers?” 

“More like, why do they hang out with you? You're too introverted to be worth their time...”

Sollux clutched his head as if he had an excruciating headache. “Ugh, stop it! Shut up!” 

“We know, you know.” Red Sollux said, stepping closer. 

“Because we are you... We know all about what it's like to be you.” Blue Sollux said.

Dave shrugged. “Either it happens or Gamzee comes in and fucks everything up.”

“No!” Sollux shouted, falling to the ground with his head still clutched. “You're not me!” 

Both Shadow Solluxes began to glow, and their eyes began casting off vibrant light as they rose into the air. Once they reached a certain height, an explosion of blue and red energy erupted, sending shockwaves throughout the room and blowing an unconscious Sollux away. The floor tiles on the ground began turning either blue or red, as if two phases were active at the same time.

Aradia shrieked as the floor beneath her turned red, causing her to completely fall through. Kanaya gasped and fell to her knees, catching Aradia by the hand before she was too far gone. 

“Don't step on any of the red tiles unless you're in a red phase! You'll fall through!” Vriska shouted as she stepped away from the red tiles. 

The explosion ceased, and in their place, two floating discs made of the same material as the rest of the dungeon were flying around. On top of these discs were the Shadow Solluxes, who both had their hands on a control panel on the disc in front of them. Both of them wore matching, robotic helmets.

“We are shadows!” shouted Red Sollux from his floating disk, circling the group. 

“The true selves.” said Blue Sollux as he gently glided forward. 

“Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself.” they said simultaneously. “See how much your life is worth when we destroy each one of you!”

“Bring it on, suckas.” Dave muttered to himself as he took his stance. “Someone, find a phase switch. We won't be able to hurt the red one without it.” 

“I'm on it!” Vriska announced, running off to find a switch. John and Jake followed her, and Terezi focused on scanning the room instead of their enemies.

“Take me up, bird-bro.” Dave said to Kartikeya, who flew his bird mount over to Dave. Dave leapt up and sat behind Kartikeya, having his Persona fly him over to Blue Sollux's disk. 

Blue Sollux, the slower of the two shadows, was unable to glide away in time to dodge Dave's aerial slice. In one swift motion, Dave leapt off Kartikeya's mount at Blue Sollux, sliced cleanly through his target, and fell back onto the bird mount as Kartikeya flew under him to save him from falling too far.

“Critical hit, bitch.” Dave said as he turned around to view the results of his attack. Blue Sollux reeled in pain for a moment, then his body began to glow. One quick flash later and his body was completely healed.

“The hell?” Dave asked aloud as he continued flying around, looking for a solution. 

Vriska located a phase button on the floor of the massive room and pressed it, sending herself into a red phase. She nearly slipped through a blue tile as she transitioned but managed to grab hold of a red tile to pull herself up. It was clear that the tiles of the opposite phase were unable to be stood upon. John and Jake made the transition to a red phase and leapt onto red tiles, preparing themselves for combat with Red Sollux.

Red Sollux, with his faster disk, swooped down on his opponents and sprayed a cluster of energy beams, peppering the ground around the team. Due to the lack of completely stable ground, dodging attacks was a very difficult, a fact that Red Sollux intended to exploit.

Jake fired his pistols and had Odysseus throw his returning spear. Both hit, yet Red Sollux was able to instantly repair the damage via a flash of light.

“Something's not right here!” Terezi announced to the others. “They're being powered by some structures in this room! Until you destroy the sources of power, you won't be able to do anything to hurt them!”

Kanaya turned her head to inspect the area. “The cubes!” she shouted. “They must be the power sources!” 

Dave nodded and leapt off Kartikeya, making a rolling landing and running at a blue cube. Leaping over the precarious red floor tiles, he was able to reach the cube and destroy it with a well-placed sword strike. 

Blue Sollux's platform began to sputter and descend, but Red Sollux flew over and pressed a button on his control panel, producing a purple beam of energy that connected the two disks. The energy powered up Blue Sollux's platform enough to keep it in the air. 

John, intuitive as always, made his way to one of the red cubes while avoiding the blue floor tiles, proceeding to smash it to bits with his hammer. Red Sollux's disk sputtered as well, and the purple beam dissipated. The pair fell from the sky, hitting the ground hard. 

“Now!” Dave shouted, rushing forward at the blue Sollux with the other people in the blue phase while those in red went after red Sollux. With strikes and blasts from Personas, damage was done until the Solluxes were able to re-establish connections to the room's cubes and took to the air once more. 

“No more test runs! Try this!” Red Sollux shouted, pushing a button. Immediately the red tiles in the room began shifting around.

Blue Sollux pressed the same button on his own console, causing the same to happen to the blue tiles in the room. The entire room became a potential death trap, forcing the Persona users to watch their footing and where their tiles were going as they tried to make their way to the other cubes. 

“Goodbye.” Blue Sollux said, pushing a button as soon as he saw that Nepeta was vulnerable, trapped on a moving platform with no other blue tiles nearby. A spark was heard and a blast of lightning erupted from the ceiling like an orbital laser cannon, bearing down on Nepeta and lighting the area. Nepeta shrieked and Eros fell out of the sky, pained as her master was. When the lightning died down, Nepeta was lying unconscious on the ground. 

Desperate for some results, Dave hopped aboard Kartikeya's bird mount again to avoid the calamity on the ground. “Go for Nepeta!” he commanded, having Kartikeya swoop in and grab Nepeta with the bird's talons. With so much weight, the bird could no longer fly well, so Dave decided to forgo his own safety to keep Nepeta out of danger. 

Aradia and Kanaya, both closer to red cubes than blue ones, frantically searched for a phase switch as the Solluxes bombarded the area with lasers and lightning bolts. Aradia, gasping as she saw a missile descending towards her, pulled Kanaya close and had Hades encase them both in her iron maiden defense just as Blue Sollux let loose another orbital strike. 

Jake used Red Sollux's focus on Vriska and John, who were putting on quite the show by dodging his rapid attacks, to kneel and take aim at one of the cubes despite the moving area. With a few well-placed shots, he was able to successfully shatter a remaining red cube. Red Sollux fell from the air until Blue Sollux provided him with another purple emergency energy beam. 

Angry at Jake, Red Sollux began firing his entire arsenal at Jake, who had limited range to dodge. John thought fast and nodded at Aelous. Aelous lifted one of his large hands in a commanding fashion, lifting Jake into the air via a strong current of air. Jake shrieked as he flew helplessly through the air. John manipulated Jake towards the other side of the arena, and gently dropped him on a phase switch to send him into blue. 

Now within blue, Jake scrambled to his feet, turned to the nearest blue cube, and unloaded as many bullets as he possibly could. The blue cube remained unbroken, needing more than a few stray bullets to break it; Jake solved this by calling upon Odysseus' spear, which was more than enough to destroy the blue cube. 

Both Solluxes cried out in defiance as they fell through the air. Dave made sure that Kartikeya dropped Nepeta somewhere safe, then switched to Loki of the Fool Arcana. “John, get the red!” he shouted at his friend. John nodded and readied Aelous.

“Niflheim!” 

“Panta Rhei!” 

A massive icicle formed above Blue Sollux while a strong tornado-force gale began swirling over Red Sollux. Dave and John both lowered their hands simultaneously, bringing down the full force of their Personas on their unfortunate opponents. The icicle struck and the tornado touched down, creating bursts of magical energy that washed over the Persona Users and the shadows both. When the dust cleared, the floor tiles all turned purple and ceased moving. The Shadow Solluxes dissipated into smoke and then resumed their original forms. 

Sollux rose to his feet and staggered over to his shadows. “So... what now?” 

“I guess we should have explained this part. You have to accept them as a part; er, parts; of who you are.” John explained, holding an unconscious Nepeta in his arms. “I know it sucks, but these shadows have a way of really knowing you. Especially the parts of you that you don't like thinking about.”

“If it'll make it go away... Well, maybe they weren't completely wrong.” Sollux concluded. “Alright, I am really conflicted. All the time, even. I switch back and forth and I can't help it. If that makes me moody, well, I don't care. I might have two sides, but I'm still one person. So, yeah. You're me. Both of you.”

The Shadow Solluxes turned to each other and shook hands, melding into one being that was a perfect replica of the actual Sollux. This being faded into a Persona; a man who wore an elaborate, yellow Greek-style robe. The man's skin color was split down the middle; one half red, the other blue. The Persona's face was not visible, and was hidden by a robot mask similar to those worn by the shadow Solluxes. The Robot helm was a shining gold, with a black visor on the face. The Persona also held two golden cups, one in each hand.

Sollux looked up at his Persona and called its' name; “Dionysus” he said, accepting the card that came into being as the Persona reverted into card form. Sollux collapsed but Jake was able to catch him, helping him stand on his own two feet. 

As the group turned to leave through the inevitably newly opened exit door, they heard a clapping noise. A short and almost inaudible chuckle tipped everyone off on who it was; the group turned around and found themselves looking at Gamzee.

Before Gamzee could say anything, Vriska screamed in anger and began rushing forward with Arachne.  
“Shit, no!” Dave shouted. Despite being exhausted after calling upon Loki's power, Dave couldn't let Vriska fend for herself after what happened last time. John gently laid Nepeta down and quickly followed, while the others stayed behind due to their knowledge of what happened to Vriska the last time.

Gamzee merely grinned and bought his flaming clubs into existence. “I was just here to deliver a motherfuckin' message... but if you fuckers are gonna be violent, I can accommodate.” 

A wall of flame shot up behind the three that challenged Gamzee, a wall that circled around and created a makeshift boundary around the battleground. 

Vriska shuffled the dice in her hand, hoped for a lucky roll, and tossed them all at Gamzee. The resulting explosions from the dice were of various elements, all of which did nothing to their club-wielding enemy. 

Dave approached next with John beside him, both of them swinging their weapons at Gamzee to try and throw him off. Gamzee, however, was completely unfazed and began twirling his clubs like a master, blocking each strike that Dave and John made with startling proficiency. 

Gamzee grinned the entire time, making false swipes at Dave and John. They could tell that Gamzee would definitely be able to hit them if he wanted to, which made him all the more frightening; he was toying with them. Dave could feel his hands were slightly singed from the intensely burning clubs.

Gamzee fell back into a crouch and then kicked Dave away, standing with a sinister grin. “Now y'all motherfuckers can get a taste of what's to come.” 

Dave struggled to his feet with the help of John. Vriska held her dice loosely and watched in horror as Gamzee brought a Persona card into view. He crushed it with one of his clubs, bringing into existence his persona. 

Behind him formed a large man, clad in massive steel armor. The armor had spikes protruding from every mobile joint, giving it a crude yet menacing appearance. The only unarmored part of the Persona was its' face; the red skin and glowing eyes gave it a demonic look that was topped off with a large mane of fire for hair. In his hands was a large greatsword, serrated on one edge and dripping with a tar-like liquid. 

“Meet Ares, motherfuckers.” Gamzee announced. “You think you're getting strong, huh? You think this is over? Well guess again. You ain't even fuckin' close to the shit I've got in my hands.”

With a silent command, Ares stepped forward and raised his hand, causing the fire barrier to rise. 

Terezi gasped. “His Persona is incredibly powerful! It's about to summon some kind of fire spell; if you can get out, do it now!”

Dave turned around and looked at the massive wall of fire. The heat emanating from it was nearly unbearable, and Dave wasn't even that close to it. To jump through it would cook him like a slab of bacon.

“Dave, what are we going to do?” Vriska asked, obviously in panic and losing her normally steadfast cool. Dave could tell that Gamzee's presence of power was not only seen just by him. 

“Better think fast motherfuckers!” Gamzee taunted. Ares began gathering energy in his raised hand. 

Dave wracked his mind trying to think of something. He would need a way to protect all of his teammates from the fire so they could leap through it...

It hit him. 

“Suzaku!” Dave shouted, swapping his Persona for the majestic Phoenix of the Temperance Arcana. 

Terezi got increasingly nervous as she felt the power swell within the fire barrier. Aradia bit her nails. “Are they going to be okay?”

Terezi couldn't bring herself to answer. She felt the power come to a peak, and then a release. A massive column of fire erupted from inside the burning circle. Terezi shrieked as she thought for sure her friends were nothing but ash. 

The fire calmed down and the others nearly screamed in joy as they saw that Suzaku was still standing. Under the phoenix's wings, Dave hid all of his companions and himself so they would be able to survive the blast of flame. “Red Wall, asshole.” he managed to choke out, his energy being mostly spent.

Gamzee merely cackled. “I think you've got a good enough taste. Go back and wait. The last one will happen soon, motherfuckers.”

“Why are you doing this?” John shouted, crawling forward. He, like Dave and Vriska, hardly had the strength to stand. “What do you get out of this? Why would you do this to your friends? Isn't Karkat like a brother to you? Could you stand to do that to him?”

Gamzee's grin completely faded for a moment. “I...”

John narrowed his eyes. 

“I... You don't... You don't know shit, motherfucker.” Gamzee managed to spit out. “I ain't gotta answer to you. I've got shit to do. Scurry off like the little bitch you are, I'll get back to you for good when we meet next. The next time in Asphodel is gonna be your last.”

With that, Ares dissipated and the frowning Gamzee disappeared in an instant.

Dave coughed and wiped his mouth. His lip was now bleeding, but that was the least of the source of his pains. 

Aradia, Jake and Kanaya ran over to help the three to their feet. No words were said; they would have time to discuss what to do about Gamzee when everyone was safe. They managed to get everyone through the exit door, battered and beaten. 

__

Dave awoke on a sofa where he had entered the computer world. He immediately felt intense pain in his body, likely a combination of using Niflheim and then subsequently getting his ass kicked by Gamzee. He looked and saw that John and Vriska were in similar pain. 

Jade leapt up from the couch once she came to and rushed to Dave. “Are you alright?”

“Ugh, don't touch too hard.” Dave muttered, groaning as he moved around gingerly. 

“What happened?” Rose asked with urgency. Everyone could sense that something was incredibly wrong.

“Gamzee showed up again.” Vriska mentioned, laying against John who was also sore. “He... he's insane. We didn't stand a chance. If Dave wouldn't have saved us, we would be toast. Literally.” 

Jake sighed and rubbed his forehead. “This... this doesn't look well, does it?”

“He's toying with us. We don't know what he's doing this for, but when John mentioned Karkat, he kinda had a skip.” Dave mentioned. “Like, he hesitated, broke his tough guy act for a second. Just got really upset.” 

“Then it's as I thought.” Rose stated. “I've given thought to it, and I've got reasons to believe that Gamzee's been under the control of some other entity. There was always something that threw me off about his behavior, but hearing you say that...”

“I just know he needs to die.” Vriska said. “He's going for Karkat next.” 

Karkat sighed, hanging his head. 

“And he said it'll be the last time we enter the computer world.” John added. “I think Karkat will be the last one.” 

“Then that will be where his plans come to bear fruit, I imagine.” Rose concluded. “I can only hope we can prepare for it.”

Sollux came to in the meantime, sitting up. “Ugh, my head.”

“We should probably get back and get some rest. Vriska, Sollux, and Nepeta especially.” Terezi said. Nepeta was asleep, her head on Karkat's lap. Equius approached Karkat, gave him a stern look, and picked Nepeta up gently without breaking eye contact. 

“See you guys.” Jade said, waving happily despite the gravity of the situation. “Don't worry, Sollux, we'll give you the initiation once we have the time.” 

With that, the foreign exchange students left to take care of their own. Jade and Jane immediately got to work in helping Dave and John relax, so that they could recover as soon as possible.

John could only think of how Gamzee overpowered them in the computer world. He knew that having a Persona gave one superhuman strength and other unnatural abilities in the computer world, but Gamzee's enhancements weren't superhuman; they were godlike. He had absolutely no idea how they were going to defeat such a menace. If only they could bring the entire team instead of eight people through a door.

Dave closed his eyes and was about to drift to sleep when he saw a familiar blue door in his mind. 

__

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” Igor said. Dave found himself able to move without pain in the Velvet Room; it was a place of complete peace, free from the physical pains of the real world. It was truly between dreams and reality.

“Hey, Igor. Man, you don't have some kinda killer revelation to save my ass right now, do you?” Dave asked. “Gamzee's been whooping us.” 

“I'm afraid I have naught to offer but my standard assistance; that of putting your journey into perspective. And your journey is nearing its' conclusion.”

“Wait, really?” Dave asked. “So tell me, is this a good-guys-always-win thing, or are we doing some kinda artsy bullshit to end the journey on the bitter note? The heroes die, the end?”

“That is entirely for you to decide.” Igor clarified. “Remember that to enter this room, you signed a contract. This contract stated that you would be responsible for all the decisions and actions you make. You will soon be called upon to exercise the responsibilities that your contract has laid upon you.”

“I guess I can't ask for specifics.” Dave stated rather sarcastically.

“If only it were so. Alas, I am but a puppet, only a mere observer in this grand experiment.” Igor said.

“Experiment?” Dave asked. “You've never called this an experiment.”

“To powers beyond our own existence, this is all but a part of the grand fate of mankind.” Igor said. “I hate to remain vague, but there are powers at work that have put this all into motion before you or anyone on this world were born. But you and those close to you were called upon to act. Your bonds allow you to act against overwhelming odds. I know it needs no repeating, but your bonds will be your strength in the trials to come.”

“So... I have to beat Gamzee with the power of friendship?” Dave asked.

Igor chuckled lightly. “You will be called upon to fulfill what is in your contract. And it is what you do when this time comes that your true power will be called upon. It will be enough to carry you through.”

Dave nodded. “You know, I think it'll work. Thanks, Nose-man.”

“Igor.”

“Igor, yeah.” Dave repeated, shrugging. “So, I imagine I'm missing out on some much-needed sleep while I'm here, so...”

“Of course.” Igor responded, nodding. “When next we meet, it will be under vastly different circumstances. I wish you luck on the remainder of your journey.”

Dave looked to Igor, sat back in his seat, and nodded. “Thanks.” he said as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift back to sleep in the real world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a real notice, just bringing to light that Personastuck is now officially 100,000+ words long. Whoa!


	31. My Little Cthulhu

The group took time to recuperate after the rough patch in the computer. After hearing the description of the battle with Gamzee, there was a unanimous sense of hopelessness amongst the group. It wasn't talked about; the feeling of depression amongst all the Persona users was already present and no one wanted to add to it. 

At least, no one but Rose. While everyone else was content to try and ignore the impending issues, Rose was keeping a close eye on the growing technological issues that were present on the school's campus; the issues that were apparently spreading to the surrounding Seattle area. 

“Reports claim that widespread lack of internet access is affecting the entire city of Seattle and some surrounding suburbs.” said a reporter that was on TV. “Engineers are currently investigating the issue and are looking into why this problem is only affecting the immediate area. We here at KA-CE will keep you updated on the situation and will be sure to report when a solution presents itself.” 

“Is no one willing to try and think of solutions for this?” Rose asked aloud, looking at who was present in the dorm at the moment. Dave and Jade were sitting together on a recliner, while John and Vriska relaxed on the sofa. Karkat was around, staying close to the group so that he would be around when Gamzee inevitably attacked.

“What are you talking about?” Dave asked. 

“We can't just resign to how we've been beaten once.” Rose continued, standing up. “There has to be something we can do about Gamzee. We may have played into his hands, yes, but I believe there's something we can do to break his rules.”

“Then let me hear some ideas.” Dave said, sighing. His defeat had made him noticeably irritable as of late.

Rose sighed. “You expect me to do all the thinking? All I ask is for some participation.”

“We all know there's nothing we can do but wait.” John muttered. He too was rather upset.

Groaning, Rose rubbed her temples. “There's no way we can train... Gamzee had made sure to lock the computers again. What can we do?”

“Rose is right.” Karkat piped up, causing everyone to turn around.

“What?” Karkat asked. “It's true. You're all being a bunch of insufferable fucksponges. You've beaten everything so far, right? Gamzee has got to have a weakness. And there's something controlling him, like you said and like I thought. Quit feeling sorry for yourselves and think about how you can kick Gamzee's ass and snap him back to normal.” 

Dave sighed and nodded. “Are you ready for when he comes around to get you?” 

“I have to be.” Karkat responded. “You'll be able to handle it.”

“I hope so, man. We won't let Gamzee do whatever he wants, that's for sure.” Dave said sincerely. Karkat nodded silently, and Dave heard a shattering sound. The expected voice came into his mind as a card materialized in his mind; a card numbered 'VII' and showing an armored man atop a chariot being pulled by two different colored beasts.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Chariot Arcana."

The card faded away and Dave blinked when the world came back into focus.

“Uh, you okay?” Karkat asked, not familiar with Dave's 'episodes'.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Dave muttered, deciding not to explain the issue to Karkat. There would be time for that later. “Just kind of out of it.” 

Karkat shrugged, not thinking anything of it.

__

 

The group decided to head to the school's cafeteria instead of eating at the dorm, looking for a change of pace. Dave and Rose were the first to grab whatever food they wanted, and sat at a table while waiting for the others. They sat in a relatively unoccupied, closed off section of the cafeteria.

“He looks happy.” Rose mentioned, looking up with a smile.

“Who?” Dave asked, looking around.

“John.” Rose clarified, pointing into the distance at John. He was standing and talking to Vriska, a wide smile on his face. “He's grown a lot in a few months.”

“I thought you dug Egbert?” Dave asked, expecting jealousy.

“Oh, I do...” Rose admitted, slightly blushing. “And it still hurts to see him with her, but... It's better to know he's happy. I supposed she can't be all that terrible overall, if she makes him that happy.”

“I guess having the girl of your dreams can make someone pretty confident.”

“David! You're not helping.” Rose said, punching him in the arm.

“Ow! And my name's not David.” 

“Yes, well...” Rose said, rolling her eyes. “Let me have my little monologue. John's a dork.”

“He's our dork.”

“And our dork's happy.” Rose agreed, smiling. “And... that makes me happy too.” 

With that being said, Rose began to glow akin to how John and Jade glowed when they had received their own second Personas. Dave alarmingly looked around at their surroundings. Those sitting in the area didn't appear to notice. 

Rose's Persona appeared before them, once again apparently unseen by the random bystanders. Iris floated in the air for a moment, then was consumed by a bright flash. 

In her place was a brand new (and from Dave's perspective, creepy) Persona. A young woman with the lower body of what was apparently an octopus, the Persona had dark grey skin and wore nothing; her long, flowing white hair covered anything mildly lewd. Her eyes glowed an intense white, and her face wore a blank, emotionless expression. In her hands she held two long, wicked blades, both of them shimmering despite their crude appearances. The Persona seemed to have a shadowy aura around it, giving it a sinister yet ironically graceful look.

“Persephone.” Rose muttered, accepting the new Persona into her heart. “So... that was what happened to John and Jade. It felt nice.”

“Yeah, well... You deserve it.” Dave said sincerely, nodding. “You've grown a lot too.”

Rose merely smiled. “Thank you, Dave.”

With Rose attaining her new Persona, Dave grew more confident in their chances against Gamzee. Perhaps they would see the end of this on their own terms, after all.

And if they had to break a few rules, then so be it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time, but be prepared. Chapter 32 is definitely going to be 'the big one'. There will most likely be quite a pause in updates as I plan to make 32 the longest and most important chapter so far, and thus it will take a while. Thanks for sticking with me so far, and I hope you like what's to come!


	32. Bringer of the Dawn

Ironically, the normally sour-tempered Karkat ended up being just the remedy the group needed to get back into a positive mood. Rose getting her second Persona was quite a boon as well; it was generally agreed that John, Jade, and Rose would all be part of the team to enter the computer when the time finally came. 

However, March went on with nothing of any significance happening. The city-wide technology problems had spread to all of King County, and was still slowly creeping outwards. Experts on the field were absolutely baffled at the 'supernatural' occurrence. The lack of internet connection and working computers for thousands of people was having an obvious effect, at least as was seen in the general day-to-day demeanor of people everywhere. No social media or other internet-dependent activities were working, meaning there was a general feeling of dis-connectivity amongst the people of Seattle. It was hardly the coming apocalypse, but it still unnerved the Persona users that Gamzee could have such an effect on the surrounding area.

Still, they tried their best to live their lives as normally as possible. It was all they could do to stave off the anxiety of awaiting the final challenge from Gamzee. Eventually the common behavior became routine, and Gamzee's threat seemed like a far-off world (save for all the malfunctioning computers, of course).

As such, it hit Dave like a brick when he returned home on April the 10th. 

He and Jade were walking along the sidewalk on the way back to the dorm after a relatively normal Thursday afternoon. The sky was gray and featureless, like one massive cloud blanketed everything in sight. The couple pressed onwards quickly to get inside before any rain began to fall.

Dave opened the door and held it for Jade as she stepped in. As he made his way inside, he was immediately stricken with a feeling of dread. He looked around and saw everyone, even the foreign exchange students, sitting in various places around the ground floor of the dorm. 

On the sofa was an unconscious Karkat.

“Oh shit.” Dave whispered, dropping his bag on the ground. 

“It hasn't been very long. We were about to call you.” Rose explained, her laptop in her lap. 

Jade wrapped her hands around one of Dave's arms. “Dave?” she said quietly and comfortingly. 

“I know.” Dave replied, gently breaking out of Jade's hold and stepping forward. “I guess we better get started.” 

Vriska nodded. “Let's finish what we started.”

Dave reached into his bag, retrieved his laptop and sat on the recliner where he normally sat. He ran his fingers across the keyboard, staring into the black screen of his computer. It was somewhat of a reality check to realize how long the computer world had been in their lives and how it had practically defined their day-to-day schedules for the past few months. 

What would happen? Gamzee obviously had a reason for them to be there in the first place. Would he try to stop them before they saved Karkat? It was doubtful. Dave also thought of all that Igor had said; especially about when he mentioned that not all of Dave's friends would make it out alive. Dave still held close to the belief that even Igor could be wrong sometimes, but the thought still chilled his bones. He would have to choose who came with him, and whoever came with him could surely die... How could he bring himself to choose which of his friends had to enter the gauntlet alongside him?

He knew that his friends would all be willing to put their lives on the line (well, except maybe Eridan), but that didn't help him with his choice. He resolved to consult Rose for advice for when he reached that decision. 

For better or worse, this was likely to be it. 

Dave took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then typed out the Gateway code. No purple screen of death; just the rushing sensation of transferring from the real world to the computer world.

__

When Dave came to, he first saw that Asphodel was an even worse state than before. It wasn't vastly worse, but it was still quite apparent. The glitches and hang-ups on every object in the area appeared to be worsening. 

Dave saw a new door, obviously Karkat's, but also took a moment to look at a door that had eluded them for quite sometime; the door that was presumably Dave's since he was the only one without a door. The chains on the door that held it shut were still present, but they seemed to be rusting and corroding. With a bit more wear, the chains were likely to be easily breakable. Karkat's door, unlike the other, had no title; it was simply labeled 'Karkat Vantas'. Whatever the land on the inside was like, it was a mystery. 

His train of thought was broken when the rest of his team appeared. One by one they all flashed into view, all of them having their own moment with checking out the decaying Asphodel.

The voice on the intercom began to speak. The voice was even more broken than before, and it took several repeats for the group to be able to tell what was being said; “Player limit removed.”

Dirk looked at Dave. “Well, that makes things a lot easier.” 

“Damn right.” Dave answered, sighing a sigh of relief. “Karkat's door is right there. We all ready?”

Everyone gave a nod. “With effuryone here, we'll do fine!” Nepeta declared, smiling. 

“I think we might actually pull this off.” Vriska mused, grinning. “Counting on you, Dave. Don't suck.”

“We're with you all the way.” Jade said, kissing Dave on the cheek. “For luck, and stuff.”

“Right.” Dave said with a slight blush. Nothing else needed to be said. Turning, Dave opened Karkat's door and stepped through. 

__

The inside of Karkat's world was nothing short of stunning. Dave found himself in a dark void, the only thing being visible was that of the ground he was walking on. He looked down and was even more surprised at what he saw; he was standing on a massive platform made of stained glass, but it was what the stained glass was depicting that was the most shocking. Stepping away from the center and getting a good look, Dave could tell that the stained glass was an artistic portrait of Vriska in her computer-world form, complete with gray skin and horns.

“What?” Vriska asked aloud, looking around the massive platform as she realized what the portrait was. “What the hell is this?”

“It's a reflection of his inner self... Maybe Karkat is enamored with Vriska?” Rose asked aloud.

“As if!” Nepeta protested, huffing. “Let's keep going.”

Dave turned around and saw that it was completely possible to keep going; in the distance there was a floating beam of light that led to the next platform of stained glass. 

Dave first tested the beam of light by summoning Kartikeya as a precaution in case he fell through. His fears were unfounded, however, as his feet touched on the light as if it were solid ground. Carefully, he walked across the beam and made his way to the next stained glass platform. This one portrayed Terezi, also in her computer world appearance.

“This one's Terezi.” John observed. Dave resisted the call of the multitude of 'Captain Obvious' jokes that came to mind. 

“Really? How do I look?” Terezi asked, giggling. 

“Look like a bunch of glass. This place is creepy as hell.” Dave replied. “Is this about Karkat? Like, what does this all have to do with him?”

“Well, we are his friends...” Tavros suggested, walking alongside the group with his steel legs provided by his Persona. 

“Maybe he thinks more of us than we thought.” Feferi wondered. Dave shrugged and continued walking, making it across another light bridge. The next platform depicted Nepeta in her computer form.

“Ah-ha! Told you!” Nepeta announced gleefully, inspecting her platform with curiosity.

“Am I the only one seeing a pattern here?” Rose asked. 

Roxy nodded. “I think I might know what you're gettin' at.”

The next platform in the chain of eerie stained glass circles was that of Equius, and the one after that was of Feferi. 

“The order we were put into the computer.” Vriska observed. “The next one should be...”

As Vriska had imagined, the next platform depicted Eridan.

“What the hell does this mean?” Eridan asked. 

Jade sighed. “I think this has more to do with the computer world itself than Karkat himself.”

The group continued making their way across the void occupied only by the stained glass platforms. The only sound was that of their voices, echoing into the distance. Tavros, Aradia, and Kanaya's platforms were crossed, and finally the group began an upward slope up to Sollux's platform. Once there, Karkat's platform was in view. As was expected, Karkat was standing face-to-face with his own shadow. His skin was gray, and he had small, nubby horns much like Nepeta's, yet smaller.

“Finally things are going back to normal.” Dave said, rushing over with his small army of Persona users trailing behind him. 

Karkat seemed to snap from a daze as he saw the others approach. “What... What am I doing here?”

“Gamzee got you.” Shadow Karkat responded. “No matter how much faith you put in him, he still stabbed you in the back in the end. Guess that's about typical for people, huh?”

“Oh, fuck no.” Karkat said, turning to his shadow. “Look, I know all about your bullshit guilt-tripping tactics. Let's get this settled real quick. Fuck you, and fuck me. I'm an asshole, I know. I act like I'm the big shot in charge of everyone but really everyone thinks I'm a dick. I'm single-minded, my brain has tunnel vision and when I get set on something I'm a stubborn ass that can't think differently. On top of that when something goes wrong or against what I want, I flip my shit and throw a tantrum, like a fucking child. Is that about right? Did I get everything?”

Shadow Karkat blinked, taken aback.

Karkat looked his Shadow up and down, and sighed. “You are-”

His sentence was cut off by his own scream. Karkat's body seized up as if he was being shocked, then he collapsed like a ragdoll on the floor. 

“Gamzee.” Dave concluded, readying his blade. He heard several thumping sounds followed by gasps, and turned around to see several of his teammates; those that were foreign exchange students; all on the ground and seizing up just like Karkat did. Those who had their eyes open showed that their eyes were flashing a monotone of purple.

“You're gonna play by the rules whether you like it or not, motherfucker!” Gamzee's booming voice rang, making the platform the group was standing on shake intensely.

Karkat screamed again, opening his mouth unwillingly as his eyes flashed purple like the others. “You're... not... me!” he shouted against his will. Shadow Karkat stepped back and shrugged, becoming covered in the black smoke. 

Jane stood and looked over the stunned members. “I don't think there's anything we can do for them right now. We have to fight!”

Dave nodded and looked up at Shadow Karkat as he came into view. Shadow Karkat's true form was that of a gray-skinned man with long black hair, with his hands chained up to a large stained glass stalagmite. He was bleeding from various cuts and other wounds, giving him the appearance of a torture victim. He wore only the tattered remnants of a gray toga.

“I... am a Shadow. The true self.” the shadow spit out. “I am the master of my fate;  
I am the captain of my soul. You... shall have no hold over me!”

“Go time, guys.” John announced, summoning Aelous. Jade stood beside him and brought Sirius into view, and Rose called upon the newly-introduced Persephone.

Shadow Karkat merely hung from his stalagmite, not making any moves. Dave took the opportunity to test out his new Chariot Arcana. “Thor!” he shouted, summoning his new Persona; the thunder-god Thor, with hammer in hand and helmet on his head, making him look like a true warrior. Dave could feel that there was a move within this Persona's repertoire akin to Niflheim, this one leaning towards the element of lightning. Dave ignored it for now and decided to keep it as a last resort in case Shadow Karkat proved to be troublesome.

Roxy and Jake made the first moves, peppering their enemy with bullets. Shadow Karkat groaned and pulled at his chains as each bullet struck. His imprisonment made him quite nonthreatening, something that actually unnerved Dave; nonthreatening things in the computer world tended to show their true colors before too long. 

Shadow Karkat merely muttered something under his breath. He was bathed in a purple light, most likely one that raised his defense. 

“Defense or no, you're still gonna get it!” John shouted, rushing forward with his hammer. A whack gave Shadow Karkat some serious pain, but still he did nothing but tug a little harder at his restraints.

“This is too easy...” Dave muttered. “Ziodyne!” he shouted, deciding to do damage while he could.

The lightning bolt bounced right off of Shadow Karkat and flew right past Dave, nearly singeing him. Not having Terezi was quite a detriment to their strategy. “No lightning!”

Rose nodded. “Check!” she affirmed, slicing at the Shadow with her needles while Persephone made larger cuts on the Shadow with her deadly blades. 

Shadow Karkat, in great pain at this point despite his increased defenses, began muttering some sort of incantation as he took his punishment. His stalagmite began to glow slightly as his power grew.

“I knew it!” Dave shouted, heading in close with his blade. He swapped Thor in favor of Kushinada-Hime of the Aeon Arcana and slashed at the large shadow's legs. 

Shadow Karkat was now extensively bloodied, and was muttering his enchantment even louder He slowly lifted his face and looked at the group, his eyes glowing as he finished with one word; “Infuriate!”

The Shadow dispelled an aura of red energy that receded back into its' body. The Shadow's skin went from a dull gray to a pale red, and its' muscles began to grow and bulge out far more. Everyone backed away save for Dave and Dirk, who maintained the front lines in the face of their adversary. 

Shadow Karkat, upon finishing his growth, easily snapped his restraints and stood up from the now-shattered stalagmite. He cracked his fists and slowly approached.

“Shit.” 

Shadow Karkat threw a punch with impact, directly at Dave. Dirk pushed him out of the way and had Ozymandias fly in front of him. He took the rough hit, sending him flying away to the edge of the platform and sending him tumbling off.

Roxy gasped and rushed to the edge, catching Dirk by the ankle in the nick of time. Dirk, trying to stay calm despite his situation and the rough hit he had just taken, dug his sword into the side of the platform in order to stabilize himself. 

Dave threw up his hands in a silent, desperate command to Kushinada-Hime, leading her to throw up a gust of wind magic at Shadow Karkat. The Shadow shrieked upon impact and fell back, groaning. 

“I think we've found his weakness!” Dave announced. 

John ran forward. “Allow me!” he said, Aelous following closely behind. Shadow Karkat rose up to a sitting position, looking ahead only to see John rocketing at him at a breakneck speed after having Aelous propel him with a wind blast. John's hammer rammed into the Shadow's face with the force of the fierce wind, causing a sickening crunch to echo throughout the void. Shadow Karkat collapsed again, barely conscious. 

In the meantime, Roxy managed to pull Dirk up from the edge of the platform. Dirk, in pain from the punch, sat with a hand on his side. He used his other hand to re-summon his katana. 

Dave nodded to John and leapt up onto the flat end of John's hammer. With a heave, John swung his hammer upwards and launched Dave into the air. With sword face down, Dave fell down and plunged his blade into the shadow's chest, causing it to dissipate into the characteristic black smoke. 

And then it was over.

Karkat and the others rose to their feet, their eyes returning back to normal as they regained control of their actions. Karkat went to his Shadow and looked it in the eye. 

“Do I really need to say anything else?” he asked. “Without any interruptions, this time... You are me.” 

Shadow Karkat smiled and faded away into a blue light, then took the form of a Persona. 

The Persona resembled a cross between a Greek statesman and a gladiator. He had a tattered red cape slung over his unarmored right arm, and his left arm was armored with an arm made of what appeared to be crab shell. He wore a gray toga and a gladiator's helmet, though what was visible of his hair made it apparent that it was long, black, and unkempt. In his unarmored arm he held a sickle, obviously as a weapon.

“Kronos.” Karkat muttered as he accepted his Persona. Kronos faded into a card of the Chariot Arcana and faded into Karkat.

With this completed, Gamzee's laughter was heard again. This took precedence over the exit dorm appearing on the faraway Vriska platform.

“Ugh... You bastard! Show yourself!” Vriska shouted, looking around frantically.

“Oh, I'm gonna show up alright!” Gamzee announced. 

The platform began shaking and a low grumbling noise could be heard. Slowly a large object began to rise from the void beneath the platforms. As it rose, its shape could be discerned as that of a large crystal, made of a milky white crystalline substance. The massive crystal rose until it was level with the platform; a door was present on the side facing the platform. A beam of light shone from the door down to the platform, completing the crystal's image as a massive, floating crystal castle. 

The doors were flung open, and Gamzee leisurely stepped out onto the beam of light. “Well, now y'all have gone and motherfuckin' done it. Done exactly what I wanted.” 

Vriska didn't have time for words. With a scream she readied her arm to throw her dice, but she was stopped in her tracks as Gamzee held up her hand. His eyes began to flash purple as did hers, cementing the fact that it was indeed him performing the mind control on the foreign exchange students. 

“Easy, sis.” Gamzee said, walking further down the path. “Let Gamz have his little villainous rant so he can explain everything.”

“Please do.” Rose stated bluntly. “We've been dying to hear this.”

“Oh, you ain't dyin' yet.” Gamzee clarified with a threatening gaze. “Now let me motherfuckin' finish.” he continued, running his hand across one of his orange horns. “Y'all know what this means?”

“Your horns? And the skin?” Jade asked. “I've been wondering what the deal was there... why that happened to everyone except for us and the seniors.”

“It's because we ain't like you.” Gamzee said. His voice was becoming less casual and more serious; Dave noted that he wasn't slipping as many 'motherfuckers' in his speech as usual. “Think about it. Why just them? Why are they the only ones to seize up when Gamzee raises his hands and tell them to calm the fuck down?”

They pondered for a moment, but no one could provide an answer. 

“It's because we're not like you. Not like you humans.” Gamzee clarified. 

“The fuck are you talking about?” Dave asked angrily. “Make some sense!”

Gamzee cackled. “Normally a shadow is nothing but a leftover from human emotions gone crazy. But when enough shadows gather, a new being is created. Beings like Nyx, someone you wouldn't know. These beings took part in one huge gamble between two beings in that dwell above human existence, and more times than not, the Shadow beings were destroyed or sealed away by people called Persona users.”

John loosened his grip on his hammer as he was absorbed in what Gamzee was saying. What was he implying?

“Most of the time, when one of these destructive beings is sealed away, they resign themselves to their fates and stay holed up in their prison until some misanthropic idiot comes along to try and bring about the end of the world. But there was one being who wasn't content with being sealed away. So she decided to get creative. What power was greater than her own? The power of human emotions and bonds, the power that defeated her in the first place. Hemera, Bringer of the Dawn, gave up her own form to break through her prison. She split herself into twelve parts, twelve shadows of her original self, and sent them into the real world to develop and gain the power of human emotion.”

“No...” Vriska muttered, looking at her gray hands.

“These twelve shadows would grow like normal people in the real world. They'd learn to feel, think, and love on their own. This would give them each a psyche of their own, powerful enough to create Personas of their own. Personas, tamed shadows that bent to their will.”

“Our Personas are... shadows? And so are our friends?” Jade asked. She was having a hard time taking it all in.

“Y'all have seen it happen. You beat a shadow, it turns into a Persona. They're one and the same, just in a different form. We were to gain Personas once we developed enough of a personality... but who to set the plan in motion? Hemera thought of that and designated one of her twelve parts to be a sleeper agent... Also known as this handsome motherfucker right here. I awoke to my purpose and began setting up Hemera's return.... To develop an entry to Asphodel, a land where emotions take form as locations and shadows. Where we Shadows take our true forms and shed our human guises. Where Personas could be called into form, and where us advanced shadows could awaken to our true power. You know why the Gateway code works?”

Dave shrugged. 

“The code is a load of shit. I could have made you type literally fuckin' anything and you'd still be transported in. The thing about Asphodel is that it takes consent from the entering person to be entered. Whether it be real consent, or... Artificial.” 

“The mind control.” Karkat said, still having trouble accepting what Gamzee was saying.

“It was how he got us in the computer in the first place.” Feferi said.

“Then why did you need us?” Dave asked. “Why us humans?” 

Gamzee laughed again, seemingly taking a sick pleasure in his big revelation. “Because as close as we get to the real thing, us shadows still only have artificial emotions and psyches at best. Your presence with these other fragments of Hemera helped spur the whole process. Your real emotions, your real Personas... all fuel for their awakening, and Hemera's. Emotion's a powerful thing, man. I had originally settled on the group of seniors, but when I met felt you approaching Seattle, I could feel the power you had in you. So I gave you the little push you needed to awaken to the power you've got, and had you do the same for all three of your friends too. Your power's been more than enough to power some of us advanced shadows past expectations. But for all you've got, you pale in the combined power we will have once we're all whole again. Hemera will return outside of her ancient seal, and will bring the dawn to all of humanity. The slate's gonna be wiped clean and there's gonna be a hell of a lot of changes. Everything's gonna be remade.... all in Hemera's ideal. Eternal light, dawn everlasting.”

“Fuck that!” Dave shouted. “Dude, you have some real fucking nerve. You think we care that they're shadows?” 

The shadow-students all gasped at Dave's comment. They had expected their human friends to be repulsed by their newfound shadow status. 

“Shadows or not, they've proven themselves to be capable of emotion and friendship. And dare I say love?” Rose added, standing aside Dave. “There are more to emotions than just being human.”

“Yeah!” John shouted, standing with Dave and Rose. “So they're the leftovers of some ancient destruction deity or something? They're still our friends!”

“And we'll stop you from doing what you want with them!” Jade shouted.

“They've grown as their own people, ya know!” Roxy protested. “Ask every one of them if they want to become a part of this Harama thing... Hemorrhoid... Whatever.”

Jane nodded in agreement. “Your wishes are your own alone, Gamzee.”

“You're a bloody idiot if you think that any of them are going to go willingly!” Jake added.

“Especially if we've got anything to say about it.” Dirk finished, getting up to his feet and walking to the line of human Persona users. If he was struggling to stand, he certainly wasn't showing it.

“You guys...” Terezi muttered, shedding a few tears. 

Gamzee stood in silent shock for a moment, then cracked another wicked grin as he began laughing. “Ha! Ha ha! You think I'm gonna give them a choice? Nah, they're all gonna come willingly. From shadows we come, to shadows we return. But first on the schedule; you've all out-lived your usefulness. When I say 'prepare to die' this time, motherfuckers, you better believe you're gonna be fuckin' toast when I'm done roastin' your asses!”

Ares burst into view with an accompanying explosion of flame. Gamzee erected no barrier this time and instead once again disabled the shadow students by using his mind control to immobilize them. He intended to kill the humans and only the humans. 

Dave retracted Kushinada-Hime and turned his card to an old Arcana; Fortune; and summoned Hermes. This time he knew what to expect from Gamzee, and even without the backup from the shadow-students, having a full 8-man team to take on Gamzee would be an enormous boon.

Gamzee rushed forward, Ares following closely behind. Dave nodded to Dirk and John and rushed forward with his blade, leading the strike. With three weapons instead of two like last time, they were actually able to put up a fight against the incredibly skilled and powerful Gamzee, who was actually making an effort to dodge and block.

Keeping Gamzee occupied did not remove the threat of the powerful Ares, however. Unlike the normal Persona users, Gamzee was able to control his Persona solely with his thoughts and didn't require physical or vocal cues, or even intense concentration. They acted almost as separate entities, meaning those not in direct combat with Gamzee still had to worry about the massive flaming monstrosity.

Rose, with her new Persona, sent out bursts of lightning to serve as small bug bites to annoy the creature. Roxy followed along with this tactic by having Artemis lob blocks of ice. Ares turned to them first, swinging his dripping blade horizontally at them. They were able to duck easily enough, but the tar-like substance dripping from the sword dripped onto the platform. These drops turned into puddles, and from these puddles arose small, low-power shadows. 

“Let me handle this! Maragidyne!” Jane commanded. Hera complied, making bursts of fire erupt on each of the small shadows. They were snuffed out easily, but more came to take their place.

“Jane, help me keep them occupied! Let the others focus on Ares and Gamzee!” Jake shouted, firing his pistols at the incoming shadows.

Jade retreated to a distance and aimed her rife carefully at Ares, firing two shots at his eyes in rapid succession. Ares recoiled from the painful bullets, and turned to meet his attacker. With a deep breath, he spewed out a jet of fire. Jade nodded at Sirius and summoned magic power, and called upon a powerful spell; “Makarakarn!” she shouted. She, as well as all of her seven companions, were shielded by bubbles. The spew of fire reached her but washed right over her, not doing any damage thanks to her timed protection. 

Gamzee was clearly getting annoyed by how well the team was working together. “Should've stuck with the original four! Would have took longer, but you motherfuckers almost ain't worth the trouble!”

“Scared?” Dave asked as he sliced forward. His blade reached far enough to slice Gamzee's face diagonally, leaving a badly bleeding cut. This did nothing but anger Gamzee farther, who began retaliating with greater force. He was once again gaining the upper hand, his rapid attacks with his flaming clubs causing his attacks to focus on avoiding damage. 

“Ares, quit fucking around!” Gamzee commanded. “I want these fuckers dead!”

Ares responded with a roar, raising his free hand and waving a jet of flame across the entire battlefield. Luckily, Jade's prior spell was enough to protect the party from the initial wave, though Jade was hurt by the attack; nothing a quick Diarahan spell couldn't fix. 

Dave leaped away a good distance and had Hermes fly in from behind, wielding his caduceus as a bludgeon. Gamzee turned around with an almost preternatural sense of agility and slammed one of his clubs into the Persona's face. Hermes retreated while Dave fell backwards, having felt the impact himself. 

Jade gasped and directed another healing spell, this time at Dave. The entire team was now on the defensive, meaning they would have to find a way to turn the tables soon. 

Seeing that Dave was on the ground, Gamzee held his clubs up high and charged at John, knocking him out of the way as he ran towards the downed Dave. Dirk leaped in front of him and slashed at Gamzee, leaving a second harsh cut on his face. Gamzee let out an inhuman roar and held his clubs at the ready. The flames that engulfed the tips of the club burned brighter as Gamzee roared. Dirk took the opportunity to land yet another cut on Gamzee's face, leaving three bleeding cuts on his face.

Dave got to his feet and resumed his battle stance. “Dirk, get out of there! Isn't your weakness...”

In what was the longest moment in Dave's life, Gamzee swung one of his clubs upwards, slamming the blunt object into Dirk's face and causing a splash of blood to erupt from Dirk's mouth. Dirk fell to the ground and Ozymandias crashed as well. Gamzee, with a look of rage on his face, stood over his fallen opponent and brought his club down again. Dave tried to look away but found his gaze glued to the scene. Gamzee brought his club down again and again, and each time he brought them back up they had more blood on them.

Roxy screamed as she saw, while Jake and Jane were merely left speechless. Suddenly they almost forgot about the battle, wrapped up in what had just happened. 

“Wake up!” shouted a familiar voice. Gamzee gasped and backed up, narrowly avoiding a slash from a sickle. 

Karkat stood in a battle stance, a sickle in his hand and Kronos floating beside him. He looked to Dave and then to the other shadow students, who all were struggling to their feet. Their Personas, once again summoned, flew towards Ares and kept him busy with various elemental attacks.

Gamzee shook his clubs, trying to get the blood off. “The fuck is this? I told you to KNEEL!” he shouted, his eyes flashing purple.

Karkat's eyes also glowed purple, as did the eyes of the others, but they all refused to buckle down. Through sheer force of will, they all fought past Gamzee's mind control.

“Dave... We'll keep him down here.” Karkat managed to say through the mental struggle. “Get out of here, regroup, and figure something out. He's too strong for any of us without some ace in the hole.”

“We're not leaving!” Dave protested. 

“Do you wanna get killed too?” Karkat asked angrily. “Get your stubborn ass out of here! Or else what we're doing now is gonna be meaningless!”

“We'll fight for as long as we can.” Vriska assured them. 

John shook his head. “Vriska, I can't leave you here.”

Vriska sighed, fighting past the mind control better than anyone. “You have to.” she said, giving John one quick kiss on the lips before pushing him away. “Please! We trust you!” she shouted. Her demeanor had almost completely changed in light of the revelation of her true identity. “You can save us.”

John tearfully backed away and turned around to face Dave. Jade and Rose looked at him as well, as if asking for guidance. Roxy was still still bawling while Jake and Jane, in tears as well, pulled her away from the scene.

“Ugh, fine! Get to the door!” Dave commanded, getting to his feet. 

“Motherfucker! No!” Gamzee shouted in protest as his fellow shadows swarmed him. He attempted to close the exit door from a distance, but it only slowly began to close.

Dave and the others rushed to their destination, leaping from platform to platform since the light bridges were now gone. The door was nearly shut when they made it; Dave shoulder rushed the door, forcing it open to allow them to exit. 

__

Dave awoke with a start and frantically looked around. The room was far emptier than normal; all the shadow students were gone, but Jane, Jake, Roxy, Dirk, Jade, John and Rose were still there. They all came to; all of them except for Dirk, who laid motionless on the couch.

“Dirk!” shouted all three remaining seniors as they woke. They rushed over to the sofa, and Roxy shook his body in a frantic attempt to get him to wake.

“Roxy...” Rose quietly said, holding one arm. “His... his consciousness died in the computer world. There's nothing left in him anymore.”

Roxy broke into tears and rested her head on Dirk's motionless chest, joined in her tears by Jake and Jane. They had just lost one of their best friends; Dave could only imagine how it would be if he lost John, Rose, or Jade.

How could he compare that? He watched a friend get killed while defending him. Him! Gamzee was going right for Dave but Dirk stood in the way, leading to his demise... Dave was taken by an overwhelming sense of guilt, that could only be vented with a punch to the wall. “Damn it!” he shouted, seething with anger at not only Gamzee, but himself. “We were supposed to have had that fight in the bag!”

“It's likely that Gamzee had intended for the battle to be just another game until he realized that we were actually able to challenge him.” Rose proposed. “I... I just wasn't prepared for this.”

“None of us were...” John said, sniffling a bit. He put his arms around a crying Jade and pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her.

“What are we going to do? We should have just stayed. With all of us around, we could have taken Gamzee anyway.” Dave argued. 

Rose shook her head. “No... They were struggling to move at all. They wouldn't have been able to stand against him in battle for long. They wanted to buy us time to live. I'm not sure what we can do in the meantime, however. How we can somehow pull a victory from literally nowhere. Gamzee will no doubt grow even more powerful now that his plan is complete, and I fear what this Hemera being is capable of.” 

“Ugh, there's nothing we can fucking do!” Dave shouted. He took a deep breath to try and expel his anger, to try and put his cool facade back in place, but in this situation a cool demeanor hardly seemed appropriate. “There has to be... Something. Maybe I can talk to Igor. He said he's just an observer, but... Man, there has to be something I'm missing.”

“It's not you alone, Dave. We're part of this too.” Rose said. “We're here to help each other, not just you.”

“I know!” Dave admitted. “I know. I'm just... Everyone plays me up to be the leader. Naturally I'm going to be in charge of what happens.”

“You'll figure something out. We will, anyway. As a group. That's the only way we can stand against Gamzee.” John argued.

“Just the seven of us?”

“That's all we've got.” Rose answered. 

__

The residents of the dorm were forced to call the police to collect Dirk's body, and had to attribute his death to suicide. “Killed by killer shadow from inside the computer” wouldn't work on the police. His funeral was scheduled to take place on the 12th of April, the Saturday of the current week. 

No one could bring themselves to sleep that night. Roxy immediately retreated to her room when she had the chance. Jane and Jake followed to comfort her and mourn together. Dave and the other three stayed on the ground floor, thinking of some way to fight back against Gamzee. 

Dave shielded his eyes from the light of the sun coming from their window. “Geez, it's been bright outside forever. What time is it?”

Rose casually checked her wristwatch, but her eyes widened when she saw the time. “It's... eleven at night.”

Dave raised an eyebrow. “You need to wind that thing. John, what time is it?”

John looked at a wall clock in his line of sight. “Dave... Rose is right. It's eleven.”

“The fuck is going on?” Dave asked, looking outside the window. The sun glowed bright in the sky, brighter than usual. People were standing outside speaking to each other and making motions at the sun. 

Rose gasped. “Dave, remember what Gamzee said?”

“About the demon thing that they're a part of? What about it?”

“The name.” Rose clarified. “Hemera, the Dawn Bringer. Remember Gamzee's words...”

Dave blinked, then realized what Rose was referring to. “Eternal light, dawn never ending...”

“Those were his words.” Rose said. “Hemera has brought the dawn, it seems.”

Dave buried his face in his palms. “Son of a bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe I finished this one as quickly as I did. Remember, kids, 7-hour work shifts at a desk do wonders for writing motivation.
> 
> As you can see, the story is definitely starting to take off. Hopefully I can keep it interesting. I hope you guys liked it, and I hope you'll continue to read Personastuck to its' conclusion!


	33. Call for Judgement

When imagining the school year, the last place Dave would have imagined himself was a funeral for a friend. The feeling was terrible, being weighed down with crippling guilt. Dave was always one to conceal his feelings but it was hard to hide that fact that he felt awful that he was put off his game during the battle long enough for Dirk to step in and protect him. 

Now he had to sit through a service and listen to people talk about Dirk, how he was in life, and how much of a tragedy it was that he ‘took his own life’. It was pure torture to begin with, but it was maddening that no one knew of what really happened. His death was officially attributed to suicide, specifically through overdosing on un-prescribed medication, but truthfully, officials were baffled by how Dirk had truly died. It was as if his body had simply stopped working.

The ever-present light of the sun shone down. If people were scrambling without internet before, it was utter madness when the eternal sun refused to set. People everywhere were urged to continue on with their daily lives, and some did; many others, however, were convinced that it was a sign of the end times. This sentiment was shared the whole world around; the ‘sign of the apocalypse’ theory gained ground throughout all of society, especially outside of Seattle where the internet still functioned. Schools were canceled, workplaces were halted, and world leaders everywhere were pressured to discuss why the sun hadn’t moved in two days. Scientists worked around the clock to calculate the long-term effects of the supernatural occurrence and to determine why it was happening in the first place.

It was hard for Dave to feel confident. He hadn’t been summoned to the Velvet Room in days, which made him feel utterly powerless to stop Gamzee and Hemera’s plot to ‘wipe the slate clean’. He wished all of that could stay distant for just a while, but when he looked at the casket containing Dirk, all he could think of what had happened in that dark void. 

Dave stared at Dirk’s body. Without his glasses, he looked incredibly different. The pointy anime shades had always given him an air of competence, as if he always knew what he was doing at every moment of every day. Seeing him lying there made Dave think about his own cool-guy façade. Was it worth it?

Of course it was, in everyday life. But his life was anything but ‘everyday’ at the moment. As the situation stood, he and six friends were the only things standing between the world and the apocalypse. No pressure, of course. If anything, his cool demeanor would be a nice front to wear to keep his friends calm in the coming trials.

He just wished he had some kind of answer to the question of how they were going to salvage their situation.

All this contemplation put Dave in a sort of trance where he lost focus on what was happening around him and lost himself in his thoughts. Jade shook him, making him nearly jolt up in surprise.

“Hey... you okay?” she asked, gently taking his hand.

“Yeah. Just... thinking.” He replied. 

“We can worry about the computer later... Just focus on the present for now, okay? We'll figure something out.”

Dave nodded solemnly. “Yeah. I hope so.”

Ready to step outside, Dave stood up from his seat and took one last look at Dirk. “We'll fix this for you, man.” he muttered under his breath, turning to leave. He was stopped in his tracks when he heard an unexpected shattering sound. For a second he thought that someone had broken a glass, but then he realized that it was the sound of a social link being formed. The question was, with who?

Dave saw a vision of a card in his mind, then heard the voice that announced his progress.

"I am thou.

Thou art I.

The bonds that you forge will become your strength.

You shall receive a blessing when creating Personas of the Judgement Arcana."

The card depicted a large woman holding a trumpet, facing down on a group of small people beneath her. Behind her was an artistic representation of the sun, as well as the waves of the ocean. The card was numbered 'XX'.

Judgement. Dirk's Arcana. Dave could already tell that the link conferred some sort of great power unto him, in the form of a new Persona. 

“Thanks, bro.” Dave muttered, again under his breath, before leaving.

__

“Guys, I know how we're going to do this.” Dave told everyone when they had returned to the dorm. The others looked at him surprise.

“You have a plan?” Rose asked, intrigued.

“Nah, but I have a means of solution.” Dave answered. “While we were at the funeral, I felt... Well, I made a social link with Dirk. After he died.” 

John raised an eyebrow. “So, what does that do for us?”

“I can feel that whatever Persona this link gave me is really strong. I think that if I use it, we can kick Gamzee's ass before it's too late.” Dave explained.

Rose crossed her arms. “You are certain of this?” she asked, almost as if she wasn't convinced. 

Dave shook his head. “No, I'm not. But you never get anywhere without a gamble every once in a while, right?”

“True enough, but these are our lives, Dave. We go in there without being sufficiently prepared, and we will lose more than just Dirk.” 

Roxy stood up and huffed. “I think we should trust him!” she protested. “Dave's gotten us this far, hasn't he?”

Rose opened her mouth to argue her point, but Roxy placed a finger to her lips to hush her up. “Nope. I trust him, Rosie. You should too.”

“I know this will be dangerous.” Dave said. “I know that we might, and probably will, die if we don't pull things off perfectly. Rose, you know I wouldn't put us in danger unless I thought we could handle it. It's a stretch, but saving the world isn't supposed to be an easy thing.”

Rose sighed in defeat. “Very well then, what do you suggest we do?”

“We sleep and get our rest tonight. Tomorrow, we go in with our heads clear and focused. We fight, or we die. Simple enough, right?” Dave answered, crossing his arms as if looking for approval.

With a nod, Rose suddenly ran up and hugged Dave. “If you die doing something stupid, I swear I'll kill you.” she said, in a rare and oddly threatening moment of sibling affection. She pulled away and regained her composure. “Whatever happens... It's all up to us.”

“I know.” Dave responded. “But we can handle it. We just need a little good fortune.”  
__

Dave awoke on his own that next morning. It was hard to get any sleep with the sun constantly shining through his curtains, as well as the threat of impending doom lingering over them. 

He looked at his calendar again, as was routine on normal days. April 13th, nearly eight months since they had began school and their incredible adventure in the world of the computer. It was finally time for do-or-die, and Dave believed he was ready. 

When he reached the ground floor, he was greeted by the smell of waffles and coffee, as was the norm. He smiled at Jade, who was behind the food prepared for everyone. “Well, the end of the world is no excuse for an empty stomach.” she explained, smiling. 

“Damn right.” Dave agreed as he took his coffee and grabbed a waffle. Truthfully he didn't feel much like eating, but it would do good to have one last normal meal with everyone before they went all-for-nothing against Gamzee and Hemera. Dave was scared, afraid of dying or watching another friend die, but that gave him all the incentive he needed to try his hardest and fight for not only himself or his friends, but for the world as well.

“Alright, guys, this is it.” Dave announced once everyone had finished breakfast and gathered together with their laptops. “Anything to say?”

“Um, yeah, actually.” John piped up, raising his hand slightly. “This year would have never been as awesome if it weren't for you, Dave. For everyone really, but I owe you a lot. I'm ready to kick ass so we can have a summer together all as friends too!”

“I have to admit that this was the last thing that I had imagined myself doing.” Rose said, smiling. “But as dangerous as it has been, it was fun, and it was rewarding to learn more about myself and others. I have you to thank, Dave. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten this far.”

“They hit the mark, alright. You've done a fantastic job.” Jake added, nodding. “It's been good having you around for my last year. I know you think you're just doing all you can, but that's really all we need.”

Jane smiled at Dave and spoke next. “You're a great leader, whether you like it or not. You'll keep us all safe, I know it.”

“But we'll pull our own weight too!” Roxy intervened, giggling. She hadn't touched any alcohol recently, showing her dedication to braving the challenges ahead. “We'll keep you safe too. Because you know, we were doing all the real work while you were out there looking all dashing and handsome and killing the shadows with your wit and stuff.”

Jade rolled her eyes at Roxy's comment, then went and hugged Dave. “I believe in you.” was all she said, but it was all that needed to be said. She took her seat next to him on the sofa, laptop at the ready, looking at him with a confident smile.

Touched, Dave gave a simple smile, looked around, and nodded. “Okay. Let's do this.”  
__


	34. Child of the Moon, Herald of the Sun

If Asphodel was in shambles before, it was barely holding together at all when Dave and the others entered the computer. The glitching effects were near-constant, and certain parts of the walls and the floor were missing completely. The room was devoid of any color at all, and the glow from the lights in the room were dim at best. 

“I wonder why he didn’t stop us from entering in the first place.” Jade asked, trying to avoid stepping on the volatile parts of the floor. 

Rose tried to touch the wall, but her hand phased right through it. “I imagine he’s dedicating all of his attention to awakening Hemera. No doubt he thinks we’re no longer a threat.”

“Then we’ve got a surprise for him.” Dave affirmed, approaching Karkat’s old door. It was no longer labeled with his name, but was instead entitled “The Throne of Hemera”.

John patted Dave’s back. “Ready?”

“Yeah. Let’s kick some ass.” Dave answered, opening the door and stepping inside. 

__

The group found themselves in the same void as before, standing on the platform representing Vriska. Where there had previously been a black void, however, there was now visible walls and a ceiling to the world, though the floor was still covered in blackness; it had to be a long fall from the platforms. An intense light was radiating from the floating ‘castle’ that Gamzee had made his appearance, showing that the walls and ceiling of the massive Shadow world were also made of stained glass. The glass didn’t represent anyone or anything, instead being a mix of many colors and abstract shapes. 

The first thing that caught Dave’s attention, however, was the figure sitting in the center of the platform, facing away from them.

“Vriska!” John shouted, running over to her. He made a move to put a hand on her should, but an eruption of blue fog made him leap back. Dave summoned his sword and watched as Vriska stood up and turned around. The sight made many of the group gasp.

Vriska’s skin was now darkened, as if a shadow was being cast over her even though the light emitting from the castle was illuminating the entire area. What was most striking, however, was that her eyes were now empty, white orbs that emitted a faint light. Her face was emotionless, the normally comforting blue fog that accompanied a Persona making her look even more forlorn and lost.

“No...” John muttered, not willing to summon his hammer or his Persona against her.

Vriska, however, didn’t seem to have the emotions to care. Arachne came into view, sharing the lack of emotion and glowing white eyes with Vriska. Vriska did not speak, and instead lifted her hand to command Arachne to charge.

“Gotta go with wind...” Dave muttered to himself, calling Kushinada-Hime forth. He had to make up for the lack of John’s wind attacks, and didn’t want to use up his energy trying out his new Persona just yet. That would be saved for Gamzee. 

“Dave, everyone, don’t!” John pleaded, drawing his hammer and turning to them. “There’s got to be something we can do to help her!”

Vriska didn’t seem to want to be helped. A blast of ice caught John off guard, striking his weakness and sending him to the ground. 

Rose ran over and helped John up, then gave him a slap to the face. “John, focus!” she shouted, turning to Vriska. Persephone floated beside her, seeming to be concentrating. “Dave, her weaknesses and strengths are just like the real Vriska’s. You know what to do.”

“Right.” Dave agreed. “Garudyne!” he shouted, thrusting his hand forth. Kushinada-Hime complied and called forth an intense gust of wind, striking Arachne and sending her flying to the edge of the platform.

“The real Vriska? What are you talking about?” John asked, taking advantage of the temporary break in combat.

Rose sighed. “John, that’s not Vriska. That’s... that’s what is left of her. Like a shell left behind.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me...” John muttered, dropping to the ground to sit down. He looked distraught. He had been hoping that they would arrive in time to save them, but it appeared they had been too late.

Dave was more interested in how Rose was able to tell everything about what had just happened. “That sounded a lot like what Terezi was able to do.” He commented.

“It did, didn’t it?” Rose asked, nodding. “My Persona’s evolution has given me some new abilities. Analyzation seems to be one of them. Convenient, to say the least.”

“At least we’re not wandering in the dark.” Dave agreed.

Vriska’s husk returned to her feet, flicking her wrist. Small blue objects flew through the air.

“Shit, the dice!” Dave shouted, leaping away. The dice erupted everywhere, scattering the group apart. Vriska walked forward and raised her hand to throw more dice; a gunshot interrupted her, hitting her hand and making her flinch. She dropped her handful of dice, and she looked down on the pile in horror. Within an instant, the dice exploded into a fusillade of elemental bursts, leaving no trace of Vriska’s husk left. 

Jade lowered her scoped rifle, sighing. “Sorry, John.”

John was obviously trying not to choke up. He grasped Rose’s hand and got up from the ground, taking a deep breath. “I’m... I’m alright. It was just a little hard to see, that’s all.”

“It won’t get any easier.” Jane said, sighing. “Terezi should be next.”

Dave turned to go to the next platform. The bridges of light were once again present, so he pressed onwards with the rest of the group. Indeed, Terezi’s husk was standing there, waiting for them with her canesword drawn. 

“Dave, if there’s any Persona you can summon that has no elemental weaknesses, I’d recommend it now. Terezi may not have been an expert in combat but she knew how to see right through her enemies.” Rose advised.

Nodding, Dave turned his Persona card to that of the Tower, summoning Tam Lin in place of Kushinada-Hime. “This ought to work.”

Terezi’s husk approached slowly with a red blindfold tied around her eyes, Athena following closely. Jane began by summoning a burst of fire, which the husk was able to sidestep. 

Dave noted how wrong it felt to fight these enemies, despite them not truly being his friends. He didn’t like the idea of driving a sword through husk Terezi just to advance onward; if there were some way to bypass them, he would, but he knew they couldn’t afford to have any enemies at their back when facing Gamzee again. 

Husk Terezi dashed in surprisingly quickly, swishing her blade at Rose. Rose stepped backed from the first cut and twirled one of her needles to parry the second, stepping forward for a slice of her own after. Her cut drew blood on the husk’s face, but she hardly seemed to be fazed and continued with her slices at Rose. 

Dave intervened by having Tam Lin rush forward to slice at husk Terezi. The husk was caught off guard and knocked away by Tam Lin’s spear, but Athena swung with her scales of justice. They made decent bludgeoning weapons, seeing as Tam Lin and Dave were both staggered by the blow. 

Terezi’s husk sprang back to her feet and directed Athena at the group, making her cast a Garu spell at Rose. Jade gasped and shouted “Makarakarn!”, enveloping Rose in a reflective circle just in time to reflect the spell right back at the husk. Terezi’s husk fell back from the surprise attack, dropping her cane sword. Dave rushed over and grabbed the fallen sword, holding it in conjunction with his own, and slashed at Athena with his Persona-enhanced strength. Athena reeled and fell back, weakening the Terezi husk even further. To finish the job, Jake had Odysseus toss his spear to impale the husk as it was down, causing her to dissolve into black smoke like the normal, lesser shadows. 

Dave held up the caneblade and watched it dissolve as well. As shame, as he had quite enjoyed dual-wielding. 

“They seem to be on an even, if not lesser, level of skill and strength than they were when they were whole.” Rose observed. “If we attack them by weakness, we can send one person at each shadow and wipe them out quickly so we can proceed. It shouldn’t cause us any problems.”

“So, you mean like, leaving one person at each one?” Dave asked. “That works, if we’re all up to it.”

He turned back to the rest of the group, who all nodded. “So it’s settled, then.” Rose said, putting a hand to her chin. “Next will be Nepeta. I can stay behind and use my lightning to take care of her. John can fight Equius, Jane can take care of Feferi, Jake can fight Eridan, and Dave can use a light-capable Persona to fight off Tavros. Aradia should provide a challenge if she can access her defenses... Jade, would you be willing to fight her?”

Jade shook her head. “Dave should go for her, his offense is better than mine. I can take care of Tavros.”

Rose nodded. “Very well. Then Roxy, you can handle Kanaya.”

Roxy nodded with a wink. “Sounds good!”

“We have our targets. Call if you need assistance; we won’t be far enough to be inaudible. They shouldn’t prove difficult at this stage, regardless.” Rose stated, looking to Dave. Dave gave a nod, indicating to have everyone move out. 

Husk Nepeta was ready to fight but looked startled (as close to startled as she could look with the blank, emotionless eyes) when everyone but Rose ran past her. Rose raised her needles and prepared for the attack. 

The husk leapt forward as Eros came into view, launching a volley of arrows up into the air to Rain down on Rose as Nepeta’s husk pressed the attack. Rose, however, had a plan. “Maziodyne!” she commanded, having Persephone raise one of her blades. Bolts of lightning shot out and jumped from arrow to arrow, burning each to a crisp and creating a rain of embers that fell around Rose and Nepeta. Rose then parried the frenzied husk’s assault, leaping back as soon as she saw a break in the attack to avoid being overwhelmed. 

Eros then switched from multiple arrows to single, large arrows, firing veritable lances at Rose to keep her distracted as Nepeta’s husk kept pursuing her. However, Persephone was now free to act on her own as well. Rose directed her to slash at the husk, and by doing so knocked the husk back towards Eros. As soon as Rose was free of danger from both the arrows and the claw swipes from the husk, she pointed her needles ahead. “Ziodyne!” she shouted, having Persephone fire a concentrated bolt at Nepeta’s husk. Having only just gotten to her feet, the husk was blown off the edge of the platform, falling to her apparent doom. Eros slowly faded from view, its master no longer present to maintain its existence. 

John met with Equius’ husk on the next platform as the others charged ahead. Heracles appeared behind him, and John gulped. He still remembered the day Equius nearly crushed Dave’s hand with a mere handshake; with his strength magnified by his Persona, he was only more intimidating. It didn’t help that to John, it still felt like he was fighting his friends and not just mere shells of them. He didn’t have much time to think, however, when Heracles came flying through the air to crash a fist into him. John had Aelous launch him away from the strike and landed with hammer in hand. The husk walked forward with fists clenched, as if waiting for a strike. 

John decided to swing his hammer, only to meet husk Equius’ fist which completely stopped his swing as if he had just hit a steel wall. Finding himself in a deadlock with the powerful arm of Equius, John willed Aelous forward to drop a cyclone on Heracles. Being able to control Aelous without a verbal command or physical motion was a sign that he was greatly improving in his Persona usage. 

The cyclone formed and struck Heracles as expected, driving husk Equius back from the deadlock and to his knees. John took advantage of this and drove an upwards hammer swing right into the husk’s chin, knocking him backwards and causing him to dissolve into the smoke. Rose was right; the pairing idea was working well and the husks were definitely only a fraction of how powerful the original beings were.

Jane stopped for Feferi’s husk, who called Hestia forth and immediately began raining malicious spells at Jane. The spells took the form of slow-moving clouds of differently colored gas, reminding Jane of Feferi’s affinity with status-inflicting attacks. Thinking quickly, Jane launched a fireball at the gasses, successfully lighting them all on fire. The resulting gaseous explosion pushed Jane back a small distance back due to her resistance to fire, but blew the unexpecting husk Feferi back onto her back. Hestia recovered quickly, as did husk Feferi. Like her original self, she was more resistant to damage than most Persona users.

Forgoing the ailment approach, Feferi switched to bombardments of ice spheres. Jane, thinking on her feet once again, nullified the attacks by using her fire to melt the ice spheres as they flew in. The resulting splashes of water were harmless, doing nothing but making the floor rather slippery. Jane got off of the slippery parts of the floor and wielded her oversized fork, striking at Feferi’s husk. The husk parried with her double trident, too distracted to utilize her Persona. Jane took advantage of this by stepping aside and using her more powerful magic abilities to launch more fire at Feferi’s husk.

The husk dodged the initial barrages, but was caught by the final burst, which effectively ignited her. She silently fell to the ground, no letting out a single sound as she was burnt until dissipating into fog. 

Jake, with his physically-oriented Persona, turned out to be the perfect match to the physically-susceptible husk Eridan. Without the advantage of a large area to fully utilize his ranged attack style, the husk’s attempts to keep Jake from closing the gap were largely in vain. Jake side-stepped the powerful blasts of energy from husk Eridan’s magic harpoon gun and let Odysseus charge forward. With a few well-aimed shots to the legs, husk Eridan fell to his knees, leaving him completely susceptible. Odysseus swung his spear, but was blown back by a powerful ice spell from Poseidon. While husk Eridan was at a massive disadvantage, that didn’t stop him from fighting like a rat trapped in a corner. 

Jake shook off the shock from the ice attack and instead elected to fire his bullets at Poseidon, which shared Eridan’s weaknesses. His plan worked and Poseidon reeled back. With both of his opponents on the rails, it was easy for Jake to have Odysseus finish husk Eridan off with a stroke of his fishing spear. The husk faded away into smoke, leaving nothing behind.

Jade reached husk Tavros and had kept him at bay for some time; his defensive capabilities were actually quite high and his endurance was remarkable; due to her lack of any hama spells, she couldn’t simply finish him off in one blow. 

Rose and John, however, had reached the platform Jade was on a good ways into their fight. “Good work, Jade.” Rose remarked, stepping in. With a thrust of her needle, curse tags floated around Tavros and gave way to a burst of light, causing the husk to dissipate.

“I wonder why Gamzee’s just leaving them behind like this.” Jade asked. “Seems a waste...”

“If I had to guess, they’re the shades of what’s left after Gamzee stole their powers, their souls.” Rose hypothesized. “I’d wager that they’re now useless to Gamzee. They’re only shadows of their former selves; even their Personas are weak compared to before.”

“Then we have to get to him and save them.” John stated. “I don’t care if they’ve already been ripped out of their bodies... the least we can do is give their souls some peace.”

“I agree.” Rose said with a nod. “Let’s go. Dave might need our help.”

Dave, however, needed no such thing. Switching to Hermes, Dave decided to conserve his energy by fighting Aradia’s husk methodically. He knew that not only would her guarding ability be weaker than Aradia’s; it would also harm her more than the real Aradia’s iron maiden defense. Thus, he would force her into locking up by utilizing quick sword combos combined with strikes from Hermes’ staff. After a few whacks, Aradia would retreat to her iron maiden like an ostrich burying its head, as if expecting a strong attack to follow the combo. 

With each successive entering of the iron maiden defense, the husks’ vitality depleted further. Hades, reflecting the fatigue of its master, could hardly lift its massive arms, allowing Dave to simply slice the shadow into a cloud of smoke.

“Hey guys.” Dave called, waving. “I think Gamzee’s just trying to annoy us more than anything. Trying to make us overconfident.”

“We know how strong he is. We’ll be ready.” John said, looking over to the next platform. 

Roxy leapt away from a chainsaw sweep by husk Kanaya, and then leapt again from a heat wave from Eos. Once out of danger, she had Artemis conjure up a freezing wind to push Kanaya’s husk back, or to at least delay her so she could set herself up. Once free from being sliced in half, Roxy knelt down, took aim with her rifle, and went full auto. Kanaya’s husk and her Persona alike were peppered with a hail of bullets, defeating them both soundly. 

Jane and Jake caught up with the other four and the entire group met up at Kanaya’s platform. 

“Are we all good?” Jade asked, looking at everyone.

“I think we’re fine.” Jane answered, inspecting the group for wounds. “This is easier than I had thought.”

“The real threat’s coming. Best we not let ourselves get too confident.” Rose reminded them. “I think the next two shouldn’t be that difficult if we coordinate ourselves; let’s continue.”

Husk Sollux was next in line. Dave was actually quite interested, as the group had never had a chance to see him fight. 

Dionysus appeared behind its master and raised its hands to its head. Its eyes began glowing; the left one red, the right one blue. With a snap from Sollux’s husk, a beam erupted from each eye; a beam of fire from the left and a beam of ice from the right.

As the group had been grouped together when walking up to the platform, the attack caught them off guard and split their formation up, separating everyone to different parts of the platform. Without knowing how Sollux fought, fighting his husk was a guessing game until Rose had time to scan the enemy.

Dionysus turned to one half of the group, composed of Dave, Jake, Rose and Roxy and continued firing his beam, chasing the group around the platform as they attempted to outrun the beams. Sollux’s husk remained and threw hails of shuriken at the Jade, Jane and John. 

Taking a chance, Dave rolled under the sweeping beam, allowing it to continue chasing the others while he went straight for Sollux’s husk. He sliced down first, cutting the husk’s back, and when his target turned around to face him, Dave landed a well-placed punch to the face. The husk stumbled back, causing his Persona’s focus to falter and discontinue the beam.

“Now!” Jade called, taking aim at Dionysus with her gun. Jake and Roxy joined in her aim, letting fly as many bullets as she could with her rifle. Dionysus slowly fell from the air as it was shot from all sides, causing the husk much pain and causing it to fall to the ground. John rushed forward and slammed his hammer into the shadow, defeating it and causing it to dissipate.

“One more.” Dave said, twirling his sword in a manner like a victory pose from an RPG. 

The group crossed the final bridge of light and came face-to-face with Karkat’s husk. It seemed to be far less animated than the others.

“This one feels...” Rose began, looking for the word to describe it. “Younger? No, newer. Karkat was only just put through whatever Gamzee is doing.”

“So it’s super weak, then?” Roxy asked, approaching. The husk merely stared, holding its sickle. Kronos floated behind the husk, and was similarly lethargic. 

“I would assume.” Rose answered. “Vriska’s husk seemed to be the strongest of them all. Let’s take advantage of this while it’s still fairly weak.”

Roxy nodded and lifted her rifle, firing a single shot right into husk Karkat’s forehead. The husk fell back and faded away instantly. As it fell, Dave’s view strayed to the platform where the husk would have hit the ground if it hadn’t dissipated; Dirk’s body was gone, but the bloodstain was still there. It made him sick to his stomach to see the sight and to think of the memory, but for the sake of his friends, he tried to push it out of his mind to help them focus on the task at hand. 

“Well... that was anticlimactic.” Dave mused, looking to the floating castle. The bright light it was casting was nearly blinding from such a close distance. “I guess we better head in. We all ready?” 

Everyone in the group nodded. Satisfied, Dave opened one of the huge doors and stepped into the crystal castle.

__

The inside of the castle was nothing like the outside; Gamzee was kneeling in what looked like the inside of a gothic cathedral. A single beam of light shone on him from a window high on the wall above him. In front of him were twelve braziers, eleven of them lit (though the eleventh torch burned dimly compared to the others). Each had a colored zodiac symbol on the face, reminding Dave of the matching shirts that the shadow students had worn on some of their days off.

“Don’t tell me you motherfuckers came to get killed again.” Gamzee muttered, standing up. “I’m close. So. Fucking. Close! Soon we’ll be complete, and nothing’s gonna stand in our motherfucking way!”

“Don’t you realize you’re being manipulated?” John shouted angrily. “Fight it, you idiot! Your friends resisted, why can’t you?”

“Why the fuck would I?” Gamzee asked. His normally comedic mannerisms were now completely gone. “I’m destined to be the herald for a power greater than you fuckers can even imagine! I’m gonna bring Hemera forth, and when she attains her form once more, nothing will stop her from wiping this planet of all life!” 

“You knew exactly what you were doing.” Jade muttered. “You’re not being mind controlled at all.”

“Oh, I was at first!” Gamzee explained. “I started hearing the voices a few months ago. I tried to push them out, started smoking more... But the more I did that, the less threatening the voices became. Soon I started to be able to do things... I could show up in places without walking there, I could shatter glass just thinking about it. I could unlock doors just by telling them to unlock. Anything I wanted, I could do, all because of the power Hemera granted me! I was chosen to be her agent, her herald of light! The shining messiah is nigh, motherfuckers! Repent and maybe you’ll go quick, unlike the rest of your pitiful species!”

“Thanks, but I’ll take my chances with sure death against a sun goddess.” Dave spat back, bringing forth his Persona card. He switched over to the Judgement Arcana and sliced the card, the name of his new Persona coming to mind instantly.

“Helel!” he shouted as the room was filled with a swirling torrent of blue energy. Every one of the Persona users watched in awe; even Gamzee seemed to be startled by the amount of power that Dave was calling forth.

Before them stood a nearly nude, angelic blonde man, his only clothing being cloth that was draped over him. He sported six majestic wings, and possessed a pair of horns that sprouted from his head. The Persona practically radiated power, and Dave felt completely in control of it all. Energized as if he had just had an adrenaline shot, Dave readied his sword and smirked smugly at Gamzee. “Bring it on.”

Gamzee clutched his head as if in pain and roared in agony, calling forth Ares. Whereas he was able to do it easily before, it seemed to cause him a great amount of stress now. Still, Ares appeared and raised its sword to do battle with the new threat of Dave and Helel. 

Dave, feeling incredibly hyped by the sheer power coursing through him, took the first move and charged ahead with blade in hand. Helel lifted a hand to its as if to whisper something, causing him to fire several purple globes of magic at Ares.

“That’s a completely different element than we’ve seen before!” Rose observed, scanning Helel to the best of her ability. “Megidola... That’s the name I’m getting.”

“I’m amazed... It almost seems unreal.” Jade said, stunned.

Dave met Gamzee in melee, this time more than just a pest for Gamzee. He began with a quick stroke, but as Gamzee moved to parry it, Dave feinted and scored a cut on Gamzee’s leg. Gamzee angrily jabbed Dave in the chest with one of his clubs then aimed a blow to the head with the other; Dave recovered from the first blow and raised his sword to block the second, then kicked Gamzee away. Though he was indeed powerful, the jab to the chest was a reality check as he still felt pain and thus wasn’t invincible. 

Meanwhile, the other Persona users assisted Helel in attacking Ares. Ares, towering above Helel, raised its sword with one hand and his bare palm with the other, trying to block the purple orbs that flew at him. The hand did block them, though they left burn marks on the palm. Once free of that threat, he swung his sword down with full force. Helel, unfazed, simply caught the blade with his open palms. Energy began to course through the blade, causing it to glow purple. Cracks formed, and in an instant the sword shattered into hundreds of pieces, sending shrapnel flying across the room. Roxy quickly raised a wall of ice to protect them from the flying shards, and then returned to firing her gun at Ares to do steady damage.

Without a sword, Ares was forced to rely on its affinity with fire. Its hands became blazing fists, punching at Helel while blocks of ice, gusts of wind, and blasts of lightning peppered its body like bug bites. Helel ducked and weaved, gracefully gliding in the air like a butterfly and avoiding each strike from its large opponent. 

Gamzee was beginning to get desperate in the face of his enemy, so he began to fight with a more berserk style. He blocked one of Dave’s slices and then resumed the offensive, slamming his clubs against Dave’s sword. He was still immensely powerful and more than a match for Dave’s newfound power, but he was by no means indomitable and was quite desperate to maintain the upper hand in the fight. He aimed low once he realized that Dave’s block would not let up, but Dave easily leapt over this and brought his blade down. Gamzee sidestepped and struck Dave on the left arm; luckily, not his dominant arm. 

Knowing that attacking Helel was a lost cause, Ares turned its attention to the other Persona users. It brought a flaming fist right at Jade, intending to crush her. Jade, reacting quickly, formed a block of ice and brought it against the incoming fist, trying to push it back. Ares persisted, pushing harder against the opposing force. John came to Jade’s aid and focused a gust of wind at the ice block, applying more force to keep pushing Ares’ fist back. Annoyed, Ares lifted its other fist to bring it down, but was interrupted by a powerful purple explosion brought on by one of the Megidola spells from Helel. With the deadlock ended, John helped Jade push the block of ice right into Ares’ face. Ares reeled back, hurt by the attack.

Gamzee reeled back in return, but regained his stance quickly to avoid being fatally struck. His momentary pain cost him, however, and Dave scored another cut, this one on his chest. Gamzee groaned in pain as blood began to drip from the deep wound. 

“Not so tough when you’ve got someone on your level, huh?” Dave asked, pacing back and forth. 

Gamzee, enraged, let out a bestial cry and began swinging wildly with his flaming clubs. It was a definite surprise to Dave, who couldn’t simply block a barrage of blows. He leapt back once then rolled to the side, suffering a hit to his side from Gamzee. 

“Dave!” Jade shouted, casting Diarahan to completely heal Dave’s injuries.

Dave smirked and got right back up after being healed. “See? I got backup, man. You don’t stand a chance.” 

Gamzee lowered his clubs and staggered back as Helel unleashed another Megidola on Ares. “N-no... No, I don’t.” he responded. 

The twelfth brazier was suddenly lit. Gamzee dropped his clubs and grinned at Dave as his eyes slowly began to fade to white.

“No, dammit!” Dave shouted, rushing forward and shoving his sword right through Gamzee’s chest. By the time he did so, it was too late, and Gamzee had become a husk. The former madman dissipated into smoke, and Ares faded away as well.

“Is... is that it?” Rose asked, looking around.

“No!” Dave shouted. “He got what he wanted! I think Hemera’s coming! Everyone get out of here, now!”

The group, panicked by Dave’s sudden declaration, rushed out of the crystal castle and back onto Karkat’s platform. Dave and Helel were the last out, and as he stumbled onto the platform, the floating castle behind them exploded in a violent eruption of energy and shards of crystal.

“I have cometh.” Stated a loud, ringing female voice.

“Shit, shit, shit! I thought we’d be able to kill Gamzee fast enough.” Dave shouted, turning to watch a ball of bright light rise from the shattered remains of the crystal. 

“The moon has set, and so comes the time of the Sun!” the voice continued as the ball of light rose ever higher.

Rose watched with a shocked look. “Dave... this isn’t good! From what I can see... Her powers are beyond my vision!”

“Humanity’s time has passed and now their call for death shall be answered. I am Hemera, spawn of Nyx, and my light shall wash over the world like a tide of all-consuming destruction. Through my light, the world shall be free to begin anew, free of the blight that is humanity!”

The ball of light faded in brightness, revealing Hemera’s true form.

Hemera was colossal, almost as big as the castle that had dwarfed even the massive Ares in size. She was fragmented, each one of her limbs floating freely and independent of each other, yet still forming a humanlike shape as she floated. Her body was made of a luminescent white material, trimmed in brilliant gold. Behind her floated a metallic half-circle with twelve spikes, each spike bearing one of the colored zodiac symbols that had represented the shadow students. Hemera’s torso and head were one, her face being obscured by a majestic winged helmet with no visage or slit for the eyes. Her hands floated freely, holding nothing but shining with bright light, as did the rest of her body. 

“This... this thing is a shadow?” Jade asked, aiming with her rifle scope at the massive creature. “It’s so bright... could you even call it a shadow at this point?”

Hemera’s voice boomed throughout the area once more. “I am no simple shadow; I am as Nyx before me, a herald of the end of humanity. Where my progenitor has failed, I shall rise and carry out the cleansing of the Earth. You have all proved quite useful in my return... As such, you shall receive the honor of witnessing my cleansing light firsthand!” 

“No!” Dave shouted, Helel flaring his wings behind his master. “No, dammit! I’m sick of everything being stacked up against us! You don’t know shit about what’s good for humanity. You’re a dumbass just like Gamzee was, omnipotent or otherwise. I always preferred night time anyway.”

“Your words mask your fear well, chosen one. You were close to my progeny, I see... You draw strength from them, in your own manner. You will discover the true power that lies in their essence.”

Helel floated ahead of Dave and began charging another spell. “Megidolaon!” Dave shouted, intending on throwing all of Helel’s energy at Hemera. Helel launched the massive sphere of purple energy at Hemera, slowly floating to the ground due to the lack of energy after launching such an attack. 

Hemera did not move an inch other than her slowly rotating half-circle. As the purple sphere approached, it began to slow and pale in color, turning white and then reversing in direction.

“I regret that our battle must end this way.” Hemera announced as Megidolaon was turned back on Dave and his friends. Dave watched in horror, unsure what he could do. 

“You have served your purpose. And now you will fade in the wake of my light, as is the destiny of all your kind.”

Dave’s vision caught a glimpse of Helel being completely consumed by the approaching ball of light. He felt disconnected as soon as Helel disappeared from view, and as the ball of light approached, he began to lose control of his body. Dave fell back and closed his eyes, his vision turning black despite the blinding light before him.

The last thing Dave saw was a blue butterfly flying before him before he was lost in oblivion.


	35. Farewell to Dawn

For what seemed like an eternity, or maybe only a few seconds, there was no feeling or thought. No perception of time or space; just a sense of nothingness.

Then the blue butterfly came again, this time easier to see because of the black color of the void. 

Suddenly Dave could feel control over his body again, causing him to gasp for air and frantically swipe at whatever was around him. To his surprise, he found himself lying on solid ground. He slowly got to his feet and got used to the feeling of having a body again, or at least being able to control it.

He saw nothing but the floating blue butterfly, fluttering in place in the endless abyss. Dave blinked, and upon opening his eyes was startled by the appearance of a man in a chair; literally in the blink of an eye.

The man wore a striking red suit with a red bowtie. His face was concealed almost entirely with a mask, the edges of which were decorated with butterfly motifs. The man’s hair was blonde and slicked back, of similar length to Dave’s. 

“Welcome to the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness. My name is Philemon... Have you forgotten me?”

Dave blinked again, making sure he wasn’t dreaming. “You sound like Igor. Oh man, am I dead?”

“Ah, Igor... so he is still tending to the room, after so many trials in the past few years. But what is time to him? It is good to hear of his unwavering dedication.” Philemon observed.

Titling his head, Dave spoke. “Wait. Are you, like, Igor’s boss or something?”

“You could say that.” Philemon replied. “Do you know what your Persona is, Dave?”

“It’s a reflection of our inner selves, right?” Dave asked. “Why does it matter?”

“Because true understanding shall be key to your victory.” Philemon explained, placing a hand on his mask. He pulled it off, only to reveal another mask underneath. Dave had often had the same idea concerning his shades. “Your Persona is a mask. It is not exclusively some deity manifested from your hidden feelings to do battle. It is a mask you wear every day; when you speak to others, when you find yourself in difficult situations that demand a change in character. You often do this, do you not? Your ‘cool’ demeanor may not entirely be an act, but it functions as a barrier to cope with your life.”

Dave saw no point in arguing with someone who obviously knew so much. He had no idea who Philemon was and what he was capable of, but bickering with him would serve him no purpose. “So, our Personas are just... different parts of our personalities, then.”

“Precisely. Fighting against the shadows with your Persona is a trial that you face often, yes, but it is not the only hardship you face with your Persona. Your daily life calls it forth. I chose you, Dave, because your will was strong. Your Persona was strong.”

“Chose me? Chose me for what?” Dave asked. 

“You often wonder why no one else experiences the visits to the Velvet Room. You wonder why the social links occur only for you, and you wonder what makes you different from the others. They are Persona users, yes? You are different because I have observed and chosen you.” Philemon answered.

“So, you’re the one who gave me the... man, what was it called? The Wild Card? Why, though? You say I’m strong, but there had to be more suitable people to choose out there.” Dave reasoned.

“I have already explained why I chose you, Dave.” Philemon stated. “Suffice to say, I call them how I see them. I have done so several times, and I have yet to be disappointed.”

“There were others before me and the others? Other Persona users?” Dave asked.

Philemon nodded with a smile. “Oh, yes. Plenty of them. Surely you heard of the incidents in Japan a few years ago? Bizarre murders, a short lived doomsday cult, a dictator thought to long be dead.”

“The thing with Hitler? Dude, I thought that was just some kind of hoax some people put up. It happens all the time with Elvis.” Dave said, confused.

Philemon shook his head. “No, all very real and all solved through the use of Personas. Remarkable human beings capable of great things, just like you and your friends. I could spend hours explaining the story of each of them; one I would even have to explain twice; but I don’t think you have the time.”

“So why did you call me here?” Dave asked. 

“Because I think you deserve some truth.” Philemon replied. “It has been some time since I have made myself known to those that have to deal with the results of the great experiment.”

“The great experiment?” Dave inquired. He remembered Igor saying something about an experiment. “Are you saying humanity’s just being toyed with here?”

Philemon leaned forward, placing his hands on his chin. “It began long ago. My counterpart, Nyarlathotep, came to me begging a rhetorical question; Can humanity sustain itself, or will it destroy itself? He believed that Humanity was on a crash course towards destruction, inevitably wiping itself out. He thought that humanity was weak, that it lacked the ability to achieve greater things.”

“And what did you think?”

“I believed the opposite. I backed humanity, believing that even without interference they could attain a greater destiny. Time and time again they have proven themselves able to rise above the odds, even if they were odds set on itself by itself. Every human is unique, but as a whole, your species shares a collective consciousness that is both good and bad. This was our focus; I believe that your collective consciousness is good. Nyarlathotep believed that it was inevitably evil and self-destructive.”

“Believed? Is he gone?” Dave asked.

Philemon shook his head. “Hardly. He is merely... sealed away for a time. However, many of his own creations, meant to tip the scale of the grand bet on humanity towards his favor, still remain as their master sleeps. Creations such as Nyx, Izanami, Hemera... all of them were born of humanity’s darker emotions, yet their births were facilitated through Nyarlathotep’s power. They are hardly aware of Nyarlathotep’s role in their creation, but are quite well aware that they are born of humanity and humanity’s desire to cease to exist.”

“The hell? We don’t want that!” Dave protested.

“Oh, I know you don’t. And that’s why I chose your side.” Philemon clarified. “Call me an optimist. The darker, nihilistic side of the collective consciousness of humanity does exist, but I feel that the other side is stronger; strong enough to combat Nyarlathotep’s machinations without any outside aid. I chose to play my side according to the rules, whereas my nemesis did not.”

“So I guess we don’t get any unstoppable being of destruction to fight our battles for us.” Dave muttered, sighing. 

“Not exactly. Not through my power, anyway; through your own. Igor hasn’t been spouting nonsense this whole time; it’s time to save your world, through your own power.” Philemon declared, smiling.

“Wait. If the Velvet Room is your thing, isn’t that the same as Bubba Ho-Tep or whatever his name is calling these massive creatures to fuck us all up?” Dave asked.

Philemon shook his head. “I like to see this way; I’m giving you the tools, but I’m not telling you how to use them. Everything you’ve accomplished thus far, you have done by your own virtue and strength of conviction. All of this, part of your Persona.” 

Philemon rose from his chair and held a blank tarot card in his hand, pressing it into Dave’s hand. “Bring this to Igor. He’ll know what to do. Farewell, Dave Strider. Good luck.”

Dave blinked and examined the card. “Wait, how do I get out of here?” he asked. He blinked and was suddenly back in Asphodel, having been whisked there instantaneously.

Asphodel was quite different now; it was now intact as it was in the beginning and wasn’t dilapidated or glitching like crazy. It was simply monochrome in color, and completely silent. Dave stood before his locked door, wondering what he was looking at.

The door began to glow a soft blue, and Dave understood. He reached out and touched the chains binding the door. They instantly fell to the ground, leaving the door open and free to be opened.

__

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” Called out the familiar voice of Igor. Dave took his seat and looked up at Igor, smiling.

“Hey, man. I met your boss today.”

“If that is the case, then I assume that you have something for me.” Igor stated with his trademark grin, holding his gloved hand out. 

Dave placed the blank card handed to him by Philemon into Igor’s hand. Igor raised the card high and let go, causing the card to float in place. From it emerged nineteen more cards, each with an illustration representing a social link that Dave had established over the last few months. The cards began spinning, and on the back of each card was an animated picture of the face of each friend that represented the individual social link. 

“You see now where your power comes, from.” Igor said, smiling.

“Oh, I always knew. It’s just cool to see it play out.” Dave responded, also smiling.

The cards representing Dave’s social links began spiraling around the central blank card, gathering energy and glowing with a soft blue light just like Personas did. The spiraling cards closed in on the blank card and merged with it, creating a blinding flash that filled the room.

When the light cleared, an intensely glowing card floated before Dave. Portrayed was a human figure surrounded by figures of an angel, a bull, an eagle, and a lion. The figure held a rod in each hand, was surrounded by a spiral silhouette. The card, numbered ‘XXI’, was labeled as ‘The World’.

“This is your World.” Igor said, guiding the card into Dave’s hands. “With the power of your social links, you can perform a miracle. This is your power, what you were meant for.”

Dave held the card and nodded confidently. As he focused on it, the card dissipated into a cloud of blue energy that focused itself on Dave’s right hand. “Right.”

“You were truly a... unique guest. I look forward to seeing you once more once you have brought peace. Go forth, and best of luck.” Igor finished, bringing his hands together. Dave nodded and shut his eyes, easily falling away from the Velvet Room and bringing himself right where he wanted to be.

__

Dave’s vision cleared from the bright light. He looked around and found himself back on Karkat’s platform where they had been defeated by Hemera. He spotted his friends, all collapsed. Jade was leaning against a splintered piece of the crystal castle, breathing painfully. Her dress was tattered and torn, and her face was bruised and scarred.

John was lying on the ground, awake and in a similar condition. His shirt was stained with blood on the right side. 

Rose was also awake, on her knees. She was holding her needles, one of them being snapped in half. Blood trickled from her mouth as she gasped for air.

Jake, Roxy, and Jane were near the edge of the edge of the platform, all of them unconscious but alive. No Personas were present.

Dave pushed himself up from the ground with renewed vigor, grabbing his sword as he rose to his feet. His sword, like Rose’s needle, was snapped in half, but the broken end of the blade was still sharp. Putting his word in his left hand, Dave stood tall with his glowing right hand. 

“D-Dave?” Jade managed to coax out, clutching her side in agony.

“You’re alive...” John coughed out.

“And I’m not going anywhere.” Dave said, looking up at Hemera.

Hemera, with no visible face, showed no change in emotion. “What is this? You stand before my might and dare to defy me once more? Do you not realize that I represent the wishes of all humanity?”

“Not my wish.” Dave answered as he was lifted off the ground, rising into the air of his own will. Those conscious look on in awe, not sure what was going on.

Dave lifted his right arm to the side. The blue energy traveled off of his hand’s general area and gathered in his palm. The energy began to form into a solid blue shape, resembling that of a handgun. 

“You know not what you toy with, human! I shall cleanse your taint and carry on with my duty, the duty your kind has given me!” Hemera protested, gathering energy in her floating arms.

Dave said nothing and raised the energy handgun, pointing it at his head. 

“What is he doing?” Rose asked, looking on in curiousity.

Dave looked up at Hemera, taking deep breaths. His fear and anxiety were multiplied tenfold by the energy gun pointed at his head, but it made him more confident all the while. With a deep breath, Dave closed his eyes. 

For a moment, a few images flashed in his head. One was of a blue butterfly, the next of the moon, and the third of a giant golden gate decorated with a humanlike sculpture that held the doors of the gate together. Dave didn’t understand what the images meant in context, but he knew what was coming to mind when he said his next words.

“Per... So... Na...”

A click was heard and then a blast as the gun evoked a power in Dave, engulfing him and the area around him in a sphere of blue energy. Dave’s eyes glowed a bright blue, shining through his shades. His grin showed his exhilaration at what was soon to come.

A Persona appeared behind Dave. It looked less threatening than Helel, but the power coming from it rivaled even Hemera’s, showing just how powerful Dave had become.

The Persona was composed of an artificial body with a seemingly organic head. The body was made of several metals, composed of the colors black, gold, and red, with some touched of white. On the Persona’s chest where holes similar to the speakers on electronic devices. The Persona’s legs were long, stilt-like featureless beams that extended from mechanical joints below the torso. The Persona’s face showed that it had black skin and featureless, red orbs for eyes. Its hair was a pure white that covered one eye. On the Persona’s back was a beautiful, golden lyre.

“Thou art I... And I am thou... From the sea of thy soul I cometh... I am Orpheus, master of strings. Thy heart that beats for thy friends echoes mine holy melody. I shall guide thee in thy trials.”

“What?” Hemera exclaimed, taken aback by the appearance of Orpheus. “It is mankind’s wish that life be extinguished! Where do you draw this power?”

“Oddly enough, mostly from you!” Dave answered, floating alongside Orpheus. With a flick of his wrist, Orpheus drew his lyre and strummed, sending orbs of light downwards onto Dave’s friends. 

Jade, Rose, and John found themselves completely healed by the lights of Orpheus. Jake, Jane and Roxy were likewise healed, though their wounds were much greater and they were unable to bring themselves to their feet. Clouds of blue fog gathered underneath the feet of Jade, John and Rose, allowing them to float up to Dave’s side as well.

“You just don’t get it.” Dave continued, switching his broken sword to his right hand. “You really underestimated what a human ego can do. You infused your split selves with emotions, trying to use them only as tools. But when you did that, you didn’t realize that it would come back to bite you in the ass. The only reason I’m able to do this is because of the people I were friends with. The people, not the fragments of Hemera. There’s more to them than just being heralds for your return. No, they’re people of their own, even Gamzee. And you’re about to bring them the fuck back.”

Hemera shot forth one of her orbs of energy right at Dave, which Orpheus easily deflected with a strike of the hand. The orb flew back at Hemera and struck one of the spikes of her half-circle, the one representing Vriska, completely shattering it. From it flew forth a ghostly apparition that glided to Dave’s side. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the apparition was Vriska. 

“Vriska!” John shouted, happy to see her.

“Can’t talk much, John. Right now we need to lend Dave all the help we can.” Vriska’s apparition replied. 

Hemera tried to charge another ball of energy, but was interrupted by another spike exploding; this one being Terezi’s. Terezi’s apparition flew forth to join the group, waving excitedly. One by one Hemera’s spikes exploded, each of them representing one of the shadow students rebelling against their true calling. The last spike to explode was Gamzee’s, and the spirit flew forth to Dave.

“Hey, man...” Gamzee began in a sorrowful tone. “I know this is my fault. I gave in, I gave this motherfucker the power she needed... But I can give you what I’ve got left. It’s all I can do to make up for the shit I did.”

“What’s with the change of heart? I thought you knew exactly what you were doing.” Dave asked.

Gamzee sighed. “I did. But... sharing a mind with the others who weren’t too motherfuckin’ happy about their situation did have an effect on me. I felt their pain, their sorrow and their rage... It ain’t motherfuckin’ right, man. I fucked up, I caused this. The least I can do is help you fix it.”

Dave smiled and nodded. “Get in line, man. Let’s blast this bitch to hell.”

Gamzee nodded and joined the shadow student spirits behind Dave and his three friends in the air. The apparitions summoned spheres of light while the three other Persona users summoned their own respective Personas.

Dave nodded to the others and lifted his hand. Orpheus did the same, lifting one of his hands and gathering energy in his palm. Hemera continually tried to blast Orpheus, but without her spikes giving her power, she could do nothing. 

The spheres of light summoned by the twelve ghosts merged with Orpheus’ gathering energy. Rose, John and Jade added their own power to the growing sphere as well, then turned to Hemera. 

“Niflheim!” Jade shouted, launching a massive icicle at Hemera to obliterate one of her arms. 

“Panta Rhei!” John yelled, calling forth a tornado that tore away the other floating arm.

“Thunder Reign!” Rose added, summoning a hail of lightning bolts that staggered Hemera, leaving her wide open.

“Divine Rhapsody!” Dave shouted, thrusting his hand down. Orpheus let go of the ball and played a powerful chord on its lyre, launching the gathered sphere of energy forth. The sphere collided with Hemera and produced a brilliant, multicolored explosion that blew away the rest of Hemera’s body and her half-circle, leaving only her torso and head floating helplessly in the air. 

Dave descended from his height and landed on Hemera’s torso, ripping her helmet off and tossing it away. Hidden beneath was a blonde woman’s face, her eyes covered by black strands of cloth.

“This is for Dirk, you son of a bitch.” Dave said as he drove his broken blade right through Hemera’s exposed throat.

The resulting strike caused a massive explosion on a similar scale to the one caused by Orpheus earlier. Dave flew back but steadied himself in the air, watching what little that was left of Hemera disintegrating into small hits.

“You may think yourselves the victors... But humanity... will... always wish for its destruction. If not by my hands... then by the hands of another.” Hemera choked out, trying to rob her enemies of their last triumph.

“Well I hope they put up a better fight.” Dave shot back. “Whenever and wherever they pop up, someone’s gonna defeat whatever friends you’ve got. Humanity’s gonna be around for a while.”

With that being said, Hemera completely faded from view. Dave let the others float black down the ground, landing himself right next to Jake, Jane and Roxy.

“Dave, that was amazing!” Jane exclaimed. 

“Yeah, well, I’ve had enough of this place to last a lifetime.” Dave replied, looking around. The world was crumbling around them, likely no longer able to sustain itself without Hemera’s presence.

The spirits of the shadow students touched the ground, facing the group. 

“I guess this is goodbye...” John muttered, looking down. 

“Hardly.” Vriska replied, stepping forward. “I don’t mean to spout off sappy bullshit, but... If we’re shadows, then that just means we’re another side of humanity. No different than Personas. What I’m trying to say is that we’ll always be with you on the inside. Memories are real things, John. They’ll keep you company when you’re at your loneliest.” 

“This is where we belong after all.” Karkat added, nodding. “Wish I could have stayed a little longer, but... this feels right. I’m glad I met you guys.”

“Yeah!” Nepeta exclaimed, smiling. “It’s been pawsitively wonderful knowing all of you!”

“Quite the adventure.” Equius agreed. “I look forward to the next one, some day.”

“I’m gonna miss you all.” Feferi whimpered, wiping her ghostly eyes of her ghostly tears. 

“Easy, Fef...” Eridan said, trying not to cry himself.

“I wish I could’ve seen everything going on!” Terezi said. “But from what I heard, you guys did a badass job. It’s been fun.”

“Fun? It’s been exhilarating!” Aradia chirped, smiling with a huge grin. “I wouldn’t trade the time I had with you guys for anything in the world.”

“Ironic that we ended up being the problem with the world this whole time. I’m glad we got this solved... but I’m even gladder that I got to spend time with you all.” Kanaya said, smiling at the group. 

“You guys made being paralyzed not so bad.” Tavros said. “I hope you all have wonderful lives from here on out.”

“Keep in touch.” Sollux said jokingly. “Nah, but I’m gonna miss the fun. Don’t forget us.”

“I’m sorry I made all this happen... But I think it all worked out for the best.” Gamzee said, nodding at Dave. “Later, motherfuckers. Keep on making miracles.”

With that said, the apparitions ascended into the air, gliding away from the group of living Persona users. Before they floated away from view, they left an exit door; having actually been Hemera, they had control over the world inside the computer.

Dave looked back at the others, motioning towards the door with a smile. “Come on, guys. We’ve got lives to enjoy.”


	36. Resolution

Dave felt himself being shaken. How long had he been out? Was everything a dream, and was he still dead?

He opened his eyes and saw Jade with a hand on his shoulder, with John and Rose standing behind her. Jade gasped when she saw Dave’s eyes open. “Oh, thank God! I was worried we were going to lose you for a second there...”

Dave blinked and looked around, finding himself in his own room. He supposed that they brought him here and not to a hospital because of the oddity of their situation.

“Jade’s hardly left your side for days.” Rose said, smiling.

“Days? How long was I out?” Dave asked.

John flipped out his phone and checked the date. “It’s April 15th, so... two days. We were about to take you to a hospital.”

“When you summoned Orpheus and stopped Hemera, it must have drained a lot from you.” Jade reasoned. “It was incredible, Dave.”

“I know, I was there.” Dave responded, smirking and reaching to his bedside table, grabbing his shades and placing them on his face. “So? Is everything alright now?”

Rose walked over to a window and smiled. “Take a look for yourself.” She said, pulling away the curtains. The full moon was as clear as day in the night sky, the sight of which made Dave oddly comfortable. The endless dawn was over, then.

“And what’s the media’s reaction to all this?” Dave asked.

“Well, with everything returning to normal so fast, there’s been tons of theories so far. Some foreign psychological weapon, just a plain unexplainable supernatural occurrence... Some of the theories are completely ridiculous. But... with no definite explanation, people are still kinda scared. Hopefully this’ll just go down as one of those happenings that will never be explained.” John answered.

Dave nodded. “Regardless, everyone should be kissing our asses for all that we did.” 

“But they’ll never know.” Rose stated, sighing slightly. “I suppose attention for all of this would be nice, but having saved every person on the planet... it’s a bit humbling.”

“It is, and it’s nice.” Jade replied, smiling. “And our reward is returning to a normal life, right?”

“After all that? I doubt it.” Dave answered. “I don’t think I’m going to see things the same ever again. Regardless, I never thought I’d say this; I can’t wait to just get back to school.”

“Just in time, too. Summer vacation’s almost here! The seniors are already excused from school since graduation’s so near.” John mentioned. 

“Oh yeah? Is that why the others aren’t here?” Dave asked. 

“They left a note.” Rose said. “It’s downstairs. Can you walk?”

Dave nodded and got out of bed, stretching. “Yeah, I can walk. I was comatose, not crippled.”

Rose rolled her eyes and headed downstairs with the others, leading Dave to the note left behind by Roxy and the others. Dave took the paper and read it aloud.

“Dear Dave. While John, Jade and Rose are freaking out about you still being asleep, we have all the confidence in the world that you’ll be alright. You took down a vengeful sun god; what’s a little nap to you? But you deserve a rest. When you wake up, be sure to eat plenty and treat yourself. You’ve earned it.

“We decided to get away for a little while since we’re off of school before graduation. We haven’t had time to properly mourn Dirk and we figured the best way to cope would be to just get away for a while to spend time with each other and remind ourselves why we were so close in the first place. We’re not sure where we’re going, but when we find out, you’ll all be the first ones to get postcards!

“It’s been great fun standing behind you in solving this adventure, and we’re proud of you for rising up to the challenge! This last year has been fantastic, and it’s all thanks to you and the others. 

“Wishing you a good rest-of-the-school year, Jane, Roxy, Jake.”

“I really don’t blame them. It was hard for us to lose Dirk, but for them...” Jade started. 

“I know.” Dave replied, nodding. “They have a good point though, I’m starving. Feels like I haven’t eaten in two days.”

Jade laughed and made her way to the pantry. “Alright, smart guy. I may not be Jane but I can still whip something good up.”

Dave smiled and took a seat, ready to get back to the normal life at last. 

__

It felt almost surreal to be back to normal. After such a trying ordeal, it was hard to adjust back to not having to fight for their lives.

Sitting with Jade on the couch and watching TV was a good start though.

“Man... I know I slept for like, two days, but I can barely keep my eyes open.” Dave commented. 

Jade tightened her hold on Dave’s hand, nuzzling her head against his neck. “Go ahead and take a nap. I won’t tell nobody.” She said, giggling softly. 

Dave shrugged and laid his head back, closing her eyes and drifting into sleep.

At the last moment, Dave felt a familiar tug. It was only apparent what it was when Dave’s vision was filled with a familiar shade of blue.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” Igor said, grinning at Dave. Beside him stood a man clothed in a similar style of clothing as Margaret, and something about him seemed incredibly familiar to Dave.

“Hey, Igor. What’s the- wait a minute. Who’s your friend?” Dave asked.

Igor’s new assistant lifted his hat, revealing his face. Dirk, outfitted in velvet and missing his glasses, looked almost completely different to Dave. 

“Dirk? Dude, I thought you were-”

“Dead?” Dirk asked, smiling and putting the large book he was carrying down on Igor’s table. “I am. Or, was. It was dark and quiet for a while, but then Philemon tugged me here and offered me a role here. I figured it was better than being dead, and would be a nice way to spend an eternity. I’ll be able to observe and help out other Persona users when their time comes, too.”

“So this all isn’t over? Mojo-Jotep still has a bunch of hidden creatures and stuff bent on destroying everything?” Dave asked.

“Truthfully, it will never be over until one side completely overtakes the other.” Responded another familiar voice. Philemon suddenly appeared next to Dave on the couch, waving. “Remember what I said about the collective consciousness of humanity? Well, Hemera was right on a few things. Humanity does, deep down, want its own death. At least some humans do, and that’s enough to set these creatures off.”

“So what can we do?” Dave asked.

“See, that’s the great destiny I’m talking about.” Philemon answered, standing and walking around. Igor kept his head down as Philemon was in his presence, mostly out of reverence. “Humanity is imperfect. The ultimate goal is enlightenment, perfection of the human consciousness. When that happens, I will have won the bet, and Nyarlathotep will be defeated. It’s a long journey, but it’s the journey that’s important, is it not?”

Dave nodded, still astounded that this was all being discussed with him. “And you’re sure you can’t help?”

“Of course I can’t. Humanity has to help itself.” Philemon replied, turning back to Dave. “You’re only as strong as you make yourselves. Darkness in the heart of humanity is a difficult thing to eradicate, but I think that people like you are off to a good start in achieving that destiny, Dave. Your Personas and the Personas of your friends show how powerful you all really are. And I know. I know because...” he began, reaching up at his mask and removing it. Beneath the mask was not another mask this time, but Philemon’s face; he looked completely identical to Dave beneath the mask. “Because I am you.”

“Me?” Dave asked, completely bewildered. 

“You, John, Rose, Jade... Every human. When I speak of the two sides of human consciousness, I speak of myself and Nyarlathotep. We are born of humanity’s impulses and desires, after all. It’s one huge loop, really, all quite confusing.” Philemon explained, donning his mask once more. “Judging by the bewildered look on your face, I should probably stop with all the introspective. Suffice to say, Dave, you have done a very good thing. You have saved humanity from Nyarlathotep’s cheating ways, and every human owes you a debt that they will never repay. Don’t lose heart, however. You have done what few humans have ever done. You and your friends are among the best that humanity has to offer. Take pride in knowing that your success has ensured the further survival of the human race.”

Dave nodded, crossing his arms. “Yeah... I guess that is pretty cool. Being an unknown badass is still being a badass.”

“Well said. Alas, I must depart from this wonderful place; Igor, I love what you’ve done with the decoration; but I do believe Igor has something to show you before it is time for you to leave as well. Farewell, Dave. I am always with you.” Philemon concluded, fading away from view in the blink of an eye.

“Don’t think I’ll ever understand him.” Dirk mentioned. 

“Yeah, well, maybe we don’t have to understand him.” Dave replied. “I’m just gonna pay attention to the part about me and the others ensuring the survival of humanity. That part was pretty cool.”

“Heh, yeah.” Dirk replied with a smile. “It was a good way to spend my last few months.”

Dave sighed. “I’m sorry I got you killed, man.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still blaming yourself for that.” Dirk said. “If anything, that was my fault. You could have handled yourself, but my protective instincts kicked in. If anything, just know that I’ve got a pretty sweet gig going here. Being dead ain’t all that bad, if that’s even what I am any more.”

Dave nodded silently.

“Oh yeah, one more thing before Igor takes over. Tell the others that... Well, tell them that I’m alright, and that I’m sorry.” Dirk said, referring of course to Jake, Jane, and Roxy. “I acted like an ass while I was there, the least I should do is apologize.”

“You got it.” Dave agreed with a nod. “Igor?”

Igor smiled and tugged on a rope. The sound of the operatic music in the background faded into that of an electronica track, and the curtains of the booth opened to reveal the entirety of a Velvet Club, complete with tables with lit candles on them. The most surprising part of the reveal, however, was the occupants of the tables; Dave could spy Karkat, Vriska, Gamzee, and all the others. Standing up, he immediately exited the private booth with Igor and Dirk, rushing over to say hello to everyone. 

“Hey! Looking good, Dave.” Vriska said, waving. Dave noted that they all lacked the grey skin and horns that were associated with their true forms as shadows. “Missed us?”

“Well, I mean... Kinda.” Dave replied. “Egbert was real torn up, you know. Misses his lady.”

“John deserves a better lady than me, really.” Vriska replied. “Lock him and Rose in a room with a bottle of whatever Roxy has hidden around the dorm, she gets crazy when she’s drunk. It’ll do both of them some good.”

“Surprising to hear you say that.” Dave mentioned.

“Well, not being alive anymore kinda makes the whole dating thing a little difficult. It’s not exactly on my priority list.” Vriska said. “I love John, I really do. But it’s time for him to let me go.”

“I’ll let him know.” Dave said, turning to the others. Nepeta and Equius waved with a smile. Dave waved back. “So... what’s the deal with you guys being here?”

“Well, you know what happened to us. We were shadows given egos, personalities.” Karkat replied. “Feelings and emotions, things we were supposed to be made of, not have. But the shadow parts of us died with Hemera, and Philemon decided that we had contributed too much to simply be left to cease to exist.”

“A most upstanding gentleman, he is.” Equius said. 

“So, he gathered all that was human about us and brought us here!” Nepeta explained. “We don’t have to worry about Hemera anymore. But he says we’re not ready for the real world just yet.”

“You mean that you can all come back with us?” Dave asked. “Back to the real world, eventually?”

“Perhaps in time.” Terezi explained. “We weren’t entirely human, so... there’s still a bit of work to be done on us, I imagine.”

“We’re not complete.” Aradia said. “Something like that. So we’ll be content with staying here until we’re ready to get back to normal. Besides, the music is nice here!”

“It is rather nice.” Kanaya said, smiling. “Concerning our resurrection, I am unsure about the details, but I think that in time we will return back to the real world.”

“So do I.” Feferi said. “And I look forward to seeing everyone again! No matter how long it takes.”

Dave smiled at everyone. “You guys be sure to take care of Igor, alright? Dude could use a bit of humor in his life.”

Gamzee nodded and gave a thumbs up. “Hey, Dave?”

“Yeah, man?” Dave asked, stepping back towards the booth to take his leave.

“Thanks, bro.” Gamzee said simply, a slight smile on his face.

Dave nodded. “It’s what we do.”

Igor looked to Dave. “The Wheel of Fortune, a neverending cycle of ups and downs. Your friends may have been taken, but they yet remain, simply in another form. And they shall return as the cycle of fortune will demand, yet will leave when the inescapable hand of death comes for everyone in time. Enjoy the time you have with those you cherish while you can, dear guest. Memories are irreplaceable treasures, and each serves to enrich your life. You have earned your right to make more memories with more friends. You have truly been a remarkable guest, and I look forward to seeing you once more.”

“Thanks for everything, Nose-man. Igor. Whatever.” Dave said, sitting back in his seat.

Igor nodded, gave his signature grin, and waved his hand in the air. Dirk waved goodbye as Dave’s vision went to black.

__

“Dave?” Jade asked, nudging her sleeping boyfriend. “Hey, you’ve been out for a while. Don’t scare me like that!”

“Oh. My bad. Just having a dream. A really good dream.” Dave replied, sitting. “What’s up?”

“A letter came in for you. It looks important. I think it’s from Japan?” she said, handing a black envelope to Dave.

Dave inspected the envelope curiously, turning it around and looking at every detail. On the face of the letter was a group of Japanese characters, written in white. Dave couldn’t read them, but beneath the Japanese characters was a logo in English that read ‘Kirijo Group’. 

“Oh shit, the Kirijo group? They’re that big multinational company that makes, like, everything, right?” Dave asked, opening the flap of the envelope. 

“Whatcha got there, Dave?” John asked, walking behind the sofa to sneak a peek. Rose did the same, giving in to her more curious side.

“Letter from one of the biggest companies in the world. You know, no big deal.” Dave said, taking out the letter from within the envelope to read it aloud.

“Dave Strider,

“It has come to my attention that you have recently been part of an incident that transcended your understanding of reality as you knew it. No doubt you think yourselves to be alone in this ordeal, but rest assured that there are a select few that are witness to this unnatural side of reality. 

“You are among the few to have survived an encounter with the creatures we know as shadows; what’s more, you have defeated one of great power using your powers alone, with no outside help. This marks you and your friends to be of great interest to my organization. In fact, we seek your help, and the help of those who stood by you.

“No doubt you have had plans on what to do with your life after finishing High School. I believe that with your powers, you are all destined for a much higher calling. I am offering you a chance to seize such a destiny and be a part of something greater. Know that your involvement in these matters of Personas and shadows has already cemented your involvement with these matters, and that they shall be difficult to escape no matter how much you wish to distance yourself from them. 

“Should you wish to decline my offer and return to your normal lives, then I understand and offer my congratulations on your victory regardless. Should you ever require our assistance, we are just a phone call away. 

“Should you wish to take me up on my offer, you can reach me through the number enclosed at the end of this letter. I look forward to your response and am interested to see how your power will continue to manifest.

“Welcome to the Shadow Operatives.

“-Misturu Kirijo.”

Dave closed the letter and looked at everyone else. 

“So...what do we do?” John asked.

Dave looked one last time at the number on the letter. “I never wanted to go to college anyway. I think we owe Ms. Kirijo a call.”

With that said, Dave smiled at his closest friends, knowing that no matter what trials awaited him, he would always be at home when they were near. 

After all, they had already conquered one god. What was a few more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to thank everyone that has supported me through the writing of this fanfic. When I began this last year, I had never pictured that I'd get this amount of support! It feels odd that I no longer have any Personastuck to write, but rest assured that this isn't the last you'll see from me. I still have ideas to work with concerning Dissidia: Final Fantasy and I still need to finish up my Baldur's Gate story, which may end up being longer than Personastuck itself.
> 
> Regardless, Personastuck shall always hold a special place in my heart as the first fic I ever actually finished. At last my creativity lasted long enough to motivate me to finish this. And rest assured, I loved writing every word of this. Persona and Homestuck are two of my favorite things, and to see them mesh together so well makes me a very happy fan. 
> 
> If you liked the story, be sure to kudos, comment, or do whatever your little heart desires! Make fanart, send me theories, tell me how stupid I was that Dave was the Fortune Arcana instead of the Hanged Man or something! I love talking about my thought processes and why I put each character in their places, and to see that other people have their own ideas makes me happy. Don't ever be afraid to contact me, I love getting input! You can reach me at unionhack.tumblr.com, should you ever be interested.
> 
> Also of special note is my hella helpful co-author, purpleHerald. Without you, man, half of this story wouldn't be nearly as great as they turned out to be. Your analytic skills really helped me turn my thoughts into story form, and I have you to thank for being able to finish all this. I'm sorry things ended how they did.
> 
> With that, I'll leave you guys to do whatever you like on the internet. I'd just like to say thanks one last time. The internet is this massive place full of infinite possibility, yet for some reason, you chose to sat down and read a story by some dude in the south about a bunch of kids who fight their inner demons with a bunch of multi-religious deities. Man, my catholic great-grandmother would hate me if she ever found this. What I'm trying to say is, thank you; you could have gone anywhere and read anything, and you chose to sit and read this. Your support kept me going and helped me finish all of this. Thanks for all the help, and have a day that is as fantastic as yourselves.
> 
> -Unionhack


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